•     ::. 


:«* 


••:  ,;-•-:  ••. 


m 


A  SUMMER  IN  NORWAY? 


WITH    NOTES    ON 


THE  INDUSTRIES,  HABITS,  CUSTOMS  AND  PECULIARITIES  OF  THE 

PEOPLE,  THE  HISTORY  AND  INSTITUTIONS  OF  THE 

COUNTRY,  ITS  CLIMATE,  TOPOGRAPHY 

AND  PRODUCTIONS. 


ALSO,    AN    ACCOUNT    OF    THE 


RED-DEER,  REINDEER  AND   ELK. 


BY  JOHN  DEAN  CATON,  LL.D., 

EX-CHIEF  JUSTICE  OF  THE  SUPREME  COURT  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 


SECOND  EDITION,  WITH  MAP. 


CHICAGO: 

JANSEN,  MCCLURG  AND  COMPANY. 

1880. 


COPYRIGHT,  1875, 
BY  JANSEN,  MCCLURG  AND  COMPANY. 


I     KKISHT    Sc    I.SSMAH.D.I 


ELKCTROTYPED  BY  A.  ZEESE  A  CO. 


PREFACE. 


Having  lost  the  book  in  which  I  had  briefly  noted  down 
the  incidents  of  my  visit  and  travel  through  Norway,  I  tried 
to  su-pply  its  place  from  memory.  The  attempt  to  do  this 
resulted  in  the  more  voluminous  record  contained  in  this 
volume.  Then  came  the  suggestion  that  what  I  had  written, 
and  had  been  read  with  interest  by  those  who  had  seen  the 
manuscript,  would  be  of  interest  to  the  public,  especially  as 
it  related  to  a  country  and  a  people  not  as  familiarly  known 
to  many,  at  least,  as  other  countries  in  Europe. 

I  put  the  manuscript  in  the  hands  of  the  publishers  with 
much  doubt  and  hesitation,  hoping,  however,  that  they  will 
not  be  disappointed  in  their  estimate  and  judgment  of  what 
may  interest  the  public. 

OTTAWA,  ILL.,  March,  1875. 


2223248 


2  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  great  cathedral;  Olaf  the  Holy ;  miraculous  spring;  kings 
crowned  at  Trondhjem ;  present  dynasty ;  union  between  Nor- 
way and  Sweden;  population;  steamship  lines;  variety  of  lan- 
guages spoken ;  environs  of  the  city, 59 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Steamer  accommodations;  cheapness  of  travel;  Norwegian  miles; 
the  currency;  rates  of  watermen;  embarkation;  reasons  why 
docks  not  used;  daylight  at  midnight;  popular  celebration  of 
midsummer  night;  among  the  islands;  their  number;  cod  fish- 
ing, catching,  drying  and  packing;  meals  on  the  steamer;  the 
flat-bread, 69 

CHAPTER   VII. 

Coast  towns  and  people;  local  travel  and  traffic;  no  baggage 
smashing;  Torghatten;  the  natural  tunnel;  the  Seven  Sisters; 
entering  the  snow  area;  the  Horseman's  Island;  legend  ol" 
the  horseman  and  the  tunnel ;  the  midnight  sun ;  strange  sen- 
sations produced;  a  school  for  myths, ...  83 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

The  Arctic  Circle;  the  island  fishermen;  snows  and  silvery 
streams;  light  and  shade  at  midnight;  eider  ducks;  gathering 
the  down;  the  trade  in  down;  the  eider  family  in  Norway; 
Bodo;  a  good  time  with  the  children;  their  good  behavior; 
flowering  moss;  an  accident;  leave  Bodo;  peculiar  fish;  arrive 
at  Tromso, 915 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Arrive  at  Hammerfest;  excursion  by  land  and  water  to  North 
Cape;  the  trip  to  Vadso;  improved  whaling;  extent  of  the 
business;  another  visit  to  North  Cape;  hotel  accommodations; 
primitive  habits;  most  northern  town  in  the  world;  moderate 
temperature;  navigation  never  interrupted  by  ice  in  Norway; 
the  effect  of  the  Gulf  Stream, ,  .  m 


CONTENTS.  3 

CHAPTER  X. 

Hammerfest;  its  commerce  and  oil  factories;  cod-fishing;  the  Sei; 
the  fishermen ;  religion  and  education ;  hostility  to  Catholics ; 
confirmation  and  suffrage ;  general  education ;  the  Lapps ;  his- 
tory and  language ;  nomadic  or  mountain  Lapps ;  social  distinc- 
tions; family  relations,  dress,  physical  qualities;  an  insane 
bridegroom ;  domestic  virtues ;  Lapp  women ;  use  of  tobacco ; 
coast  Laps ;  religious  character ;  fanatical  crusade ;  supersti- 
tious charms, 125 

CHAPTER    XI. 

First  sight  of  reindeer ;  garden  housetops,  their  construction ;  build- 
ings in  Hammerfest  and  other  towns;  fuel;  wintering  of  cattle 
on  fish ;  feeding  of  horses ;  cows ;  dairy  farms ;  food  for  stock ; 
sheep,  goats,  hogs,  fowls,  and  Lapland  dogs;  mails  and  tele- 
graphs ;  courtesy  of  people  and  officials ;  temperature  and  light 
in  winter;  winter  amusements;  love  of  home  and  country; 
fishing  at  midnight;  the  midnight  sun  again, 149 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Trade  in  Hammerfest;  the  Lapp  quarter;  American  consul;  leave 
Hammerfest;  our  northern  position;  island  channels;  Bosekop, 
the  Lapland  Eden;  the  hotel;  an  arctic  bouquet;  rapid  growth 
of  flowers;  peat  bogs;  church  architecture;  the  forests;  valley 
of  the  Alten  river;  codfish  trade;  unconsciously  aid  a  truant; 
an  historical  monument, 167 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

Historical  monument;  Harold  Haarfager,  Norway's  first  and  great 
king;  the  story  of  his  conquest  of  kingdom  and  queen;  the 
expelled  jarls;  their  settlements  and  colonies;  discovery  of 
Iceland ;  its  settlement,  republican  government,  conversion  to 
Christianity,  historians  and  poets;  discovery  and  settlement  of 
Greenland;  Scandinavian  claim  to  the  discovery  of  America; 
the  several  expeditions;  the  first  white  man  buried  and  the  first 
white  child  born  in  America;  credit  to  which  these  claims  of 
discovery  are  entitled, 183 


4  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Gardens  and  grass  at  Bosekop;  copper  mine  at  Kuafjord;  leave 
Bosekop;  christening  and  confirmation  pilgrims;  fourth  of  July 
on  the  steamer;  miss  the  stars  and  stripes;  meet  friends  at 
Oxfjord;  the  voyage  south;  changed  aspect  produced  by  sum- 
mer; Tromso;  contested  lodgings;  Laplander  encampments; 
herds  of  reindeer;  arrange  for  a  visit;  the  trip  by  water;  rather 
comical  landing, 203 

CHAPTER    XV. 

The  encampment;  the  reindeer  and  the  Lapland  herders;  special 
investigation  of  the  habits  of  the  animal;  their  keeping,  and 
uses;  their  breeding  and  natural  instincts;  long  conversation 
with  the  herders;  compared  with  other  branches  of  the  deer 
family ;  domestication ;  the  value  of  the  milk ;  Lapland  cheese ; 
the  natural  food  of  the  reindeer;  the  universality  of  the  moss 
where  the  reindeer  are  found, 22 1 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

A  commercial  levee;  Lapland  thread;  Norwegian  log  cabin;  do- 
mestic industry;  luncheon;  a  cutler's  shop;  the  universal 
sheath-knife,  its  use  and  cost;  Lapp  encampment;  a  charm- 
ing sail  to  town;  location  of  Tromso;  dull  fishing;  social  life 
in  towns;  general  gravity  of  the  people;  leave  Tromso;  mo- 
notony of  perpetual  daylight,  and  desire  to  escape  it;  the 
steamer;  second  view  of  the  grand  coast  scenery;  the  works 
of  nature  and  of  man;  human  insignificance,  241 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

The  Lofoden  islands;  their  number,  size  and  location;  the  Mael- 
strom ;  island  scenery ;  the  inhabitants ;  virtue,  temperance  and 
industry;  the  women,  able-bodied  and  good-looking;  general 
cleanliness;  the  journey  among  the  islands;  dangerous  naviga- 
tion; authority  of  captain  and  pilot;  pass  Bodo;  leave  the 
Arctic  Circle;  Norwegian  fjords  and  lakes;  recollections  of 
the  journey;  reach  Trondhjem, 255 


CONTENTS.  5 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Attempted  imposition;  I  resist  and  defeat  it;  American  weakness 
in  such  matters ;  the  landlord ;  continued  rain,  and  no  dark- 
ness yet;  environs  of  Trondhjem ;  comfortable  condition  of 
the  people ;  mode  of  curing  hay ;  Norwegian  scythe ;  women 
in  the  fields ;  overland  travel ;  legal  regulations ;  the  carriole 
system ;  the  vehicle  and  harness ;  engage  a  carriage  for  my 
party;  the  contract  and  arrangements;  leave  Trondhjem;  the 
railway  to  Storen;  Norwegian  strawberries;  Storen,  ....  279 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

The  overland  trip ;  lose  and  then  recover  our  carriage ;  light 
baggage;  a  countryman  accompanies  us;  we  start  on  a  good 
road;  pass  Prcesthuus,  Garlid,  Bjerkager  and  Austbjerg;  a 
lady  tries  the  carriole;  a  grand  precipice;  Stuen  and  Anne  ' 
or  Ovne ;  first  night  at  a  station ;  peat ;  a  case  of  poverty ; 
sunny  nights;  Rise,  Drivstuen  and  Kongsvold;  a  Norwegian 
kitchen;  try  my  hand  at  cooking  with  astonishing  results; 
the  Dovre  Fjeld;  a  bad  road;  the  summit;  Mount  Snehseton; 
Hjcerkin;  the  carriage  upsets;  in  a  tight  place;  the  mustang 
horses  of  the  country,  299 

CHAPTER    XX. 

Resume  the  journey ;  bleak  and  barren  district ;  delay  at  Fog- 
sten;  flowers  under  snow;  snowballing  in  July;  another  acci- 
dent, and  hazardous  travel;  Dombaas;  wild  reindeer;  no  dark- 
ness yet;  part  with  our  traveling  companion;  the  Norwegian 
elk ;  Thoftemoen ;  a  royal  station-keeper,  his  pride  and  wealth ; 
Laagen  valley ;  a  perilous  bridge  and  road ;  Brcendhaugen, 
Laurgaard,  Moen,  Bedevangen;  Kringlen,  an  historical  site; 
the  story  of  the  annihilation  of  a  Scotch  army  under  Sinclair, 
at  Kringlen;  the  commemoration  monument;  the  romance,  .  321 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

Storklevslad ;  secure  a  good  dinner;  Oien;  Norwegian  timber; 
a  race  for  horses ;  we  win ;  Listad ;  Skjaeggstad ;  the  beggars 


6  CONTENTS. 

in  Norway ;  last  of  the  snow  mountains ;  Kerkestuen ;  the 
road  along  the  river ;  Holmen  and  Fossegaarden ;  vexatious 
delay  waiting  for  horses ;  need  of  patience ;  lower  valley  of  the 
Laagen;  Lake  Mjosen;  reached  Lillehammer, 341 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

Lillehammer;  docks  at  the  landings;  a  garden  of  roses;  honest 
horses ;  the  falls ;  Lake  Mjosen ;  effect  of  the  Lisbon  earth- 
quake; Helgio;  Hamar;  Vormen  river;  Eidsvold;  an  historical 
city ;  cradle  of  Norwegian  liberty ;  transfer  of  Norway  to  Swe- 
den in  1810;  the  secret  treaty;  convention  at  Eidsvold  in  1814; 
a  king  elected ;  the  constitution  of  Norway ;  king  abdicates,  and 
King  of  Sweden  elected  King  of  Norway;  incorruptibility  of 
the  Storthing;  national  independence, 353 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Leave  Eidsvold  by  rail  for  Christiana;  the  hotel  porter;  his  im- 
portance, his  numerous  functions,  his  qualifications,  dress  and 
income;  hear  of  the  second  Chicago  fire;  difficulty  in  getting 
information ;  Christiana  Fjord  and  Christiana ;  ancient  city  of 
Osloe;  environs  of  the  capital;  parks  and  palaces;  parliament 
house ;  university  and  museum ;  other  institutions ;  American 
consul;  Mr.  Bennett,  the  generous  friend  of  travelers,  .  .  .  371 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

Leave  Christiana  by  rail ;  Kongsvinger ;  indifferent  accommoda- 
tions ;  absence  of  carpets  in  Norway  hotels ;  cross  the  Swedish 
line;  Avika;  a  wheat-field;  Laxa;  a  long  and  wearisome 
delay ;  gross  mismanagement  of  railways ;  the  German  sys- 
tem; Stockholm;  the  Grand  Hotel;  the  northern  Venice; 
water  transit;  abandon  the  trip  to  Russia;  the  Gotha  slack- 
water  canal;  Wener  lake;  Trolhcetta  falls;  southern  Sweden; 
Gothenburg  to  Copenhagen,  Hamburg,  Berlin,  Cologne;  up 
the  Rhine;  Heidelburg;  Baden-Baden;  Zurich  and  Lucerne; 
up  the  Riga;  Rhone  glacier;  Geneva;  Paris;  London;  Liver- 
pool; New  York,  385 


A  SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 


A  SUMMER   IN   NORWAY. 


CHAPTER    I. 


INTEREST  IN  SCANDINAVIA;  CAUSES  THEREFOR;  WHAT  WE  KNOW 
OF  NORWAY;  THE  ROUTE  TO  NORWAY;  ARRIVE  IN  LONDON; 
START  FROM  HULL;  LIMITED  ACCOMMODATIONS;  CROSSING  THE 
NORTH  SEA;  THE  PASSENGERS;  THE  PROTECTING  ISLANDS; 
STOP  AT  AALESUND. 

IT  is  gratifying  to  observe  the  interest  re- 
cently awakened  in  the  United  States  in  all 
that  pertains  to  the  Scandinavian  states,  and 
especially  to  Norway.  Many  considerations  com- 
bine to  excite  this  interest.  In  the  first  place, 
we  know  but  little  of  its  present  or  past,  al- 
though not  hidden  away  in  the  interior,  like 
most  other  European  states,  but  swept  on  its 
western  border  by  that  great  ocean  stream  which, 
beginning  at  Central  America,  and  carrying  with 
it  the  forest  trees  of  the  tropics  to  the  arctic 
regions  of  Norway,  and  within  a  few  days'  sail  of 
the  most  commercial  nation  of  Europe,  still  it 
seems  to  be  wrapt  in  seclusion,  and  its  natu- 

(9) 


10  A   SUMMER  IN  NOJtWAY. 

ral  features  and  characteristics  escape  that  notice 
which  other  countries  receive.  We  know  that 
Norway  has  a  history,  but  little  of  it  is  accessi- 
ble in  our  language.  We  know  they  were  once  a 
powerful  people  in  war ;  that  they  had  liberal,  yes, 
democratic  institutions,  and  were  more  advanced 
than  many  of  their  southern  neighbors  in  the 
science  of  government ;  that  they  left  their  deep 
impress  especially  upon  the  British  Islands,  when 
the  institutions  of  the  latter  were  in  a  plastic  state, 
and  in  the  process  of  formation,  and  thus  have  had 
an  influence  on  our  own.  We  know  that  William 
the  Conqueror  was  descended  from  Norwegian 
stock,  and  that  the  present  dynasty  of  Great 
Britain  traces  its  origin  back  to  Norway.  We 
know  that  they  had  their  heroic  age,  when  in  valor, 
enterprise  and  sanguinary  deeds  they  eclipsed  all 
other  peoples.  We  have  been  told  that  their 
brave  navigators  first  discovered  our  own  country, 
and  actually  colonized  our  shores  centuries  before 
Columbus  was  born.  We  have  been  told  that 
they  have  a  mountainous,  rugged  country,  reach- 
ing far  into  the  Arctic  Circle,  peopled  with 
a  hardy  race  of  fishermen,  extending  much 
nearer  the  pole  than  civilization  has  elsewhere 
reached ;  but  of  all  this  we  have  but  shadows 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  11 

and  glimpses,  which  interest  but  do  not  satisfy. 
In  the  dark  shadows  of  the  past  we  look  for 
faint  images  of  things  that  have  gone  before. 
Into  these  dim  outlines  we  figure  to  ourselves 
great  realities,  and  with  credulous  ears  listen 
to  mythical  tales  as  substitutes  for  established 
facts,  and  if  they  give  but  an  outline  we  fill  up 
the  picture  from  our  own  imaginings. 

Whether  it  be  of  times,  of  peoples  or  of 
countries,  if  we  know  but  little,  our  curiosity  is 
excited,  our  interest  is  awakened,  and  we  wish 
to  fill  up  the  measure  of  our  knowledge.  The 
human  mind  is  ever  striving  after  something 
new ;  and  the  higher  the  culture  the  stronger  is 
this  desire.  With  the  known  we  are  already 
satisfied,  and  stretch  forward  to  the  unknown. 
We  feel  less  interest  in  the  perusal  of  a  book 
which  we  have  already  read,  or  the  story  of 
which  has  been  already  told  us.  We  travel  to 
see  new  things.  If  we  visit  countries  which 
have  filled  the  pages  of  history  for  thousands  of 
years,  and  the  characteristics  of  whose  peoples 
have  been  often  described  to  us,  it  is  not  so 
much  to  see  what  we  have  thus  learned,  but 
something  new  —  something  that  others  have 
overlooked,  or  have  omitted  to  describe ;  for  it 


12  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

is  a  certain  truth  that  no  traveler,  no  matter 
how  observing  and  painstaking  he  may  be,  ever 
sees  all  the  features  of  a  country  or  a  people 
which  he  visits,  any  more  than  the  artist  sees 
all  the  features  or  appreciates  all  the  beauties 
of  a  landscape  which  he  beholds ;  yet  were  he 
to  undertake  to  write  a  description  of  all  he 
saw,  even  in  a  short  study,  he  would  find  it 
almost  an  endless  task.  So  it  is  with  Scandi- 
navia. We  know  but  little  of  it,  and  this  little 
serves  but  to  sharpen  the  appetite  for  more. 
Why  would  you  prefer  to  hear  of  Norway  rather 
than  of  England  or  France,  or  of  our  own 
country  ?  Simply  because  you  wish  to  hear  of 
something  new  to  you,  rather  than  listen  to  a 
tale  so  often  told,  and  which  has  lost  the  charm 
of  novelty.  Although  its  western  .islands  are 
washed  by  the  same  ocean  that  laves  the  shores 

of   our  own  land  —  although  a  waif  thrown  from 

•> 
our    southern    keys    may    be    dashed    upon    the 

rocks  by  the  maelstrom,  or  swept  beyond  the 
North  Cape,  yet  we  know  less  of  that  land  and 
its  people  than  of  many  countries  at  our  anti- 
podes. ' 

We   know    indeed    that    it  is  an    old    country 
and  was    once  mistress  of  all   the  northern  seas. 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  13 

We  know  there  was  a  time  when  the  sea-kings 
of  the  Norsemen  left  their  midnight  sun  and 
swept  down  upon  the  more  benighted  regions  of 
Ireland,  Scotland  and  England,  overcame  the 
natives,  and  placed  rulers  over  their  settlements ; 
crossed  the  channel,  drove  the  descendants  of 
the  Gauls  from  all  the  coasts  of  Normandy,  and 
colonized  it  with  their  surplus  population ;  gave 
it  a  new  name,  commemorative  of  their  origin, 
and  their  descendants  still  hold  the  lands  their 
fierce  ancestors  wrested  from  weaker  hands. 

We  know  that  these  later  descendants  of  the 
Northmen,  not  content  with  their  continental 
possessions,  in  the  person  of  William  the  Con- 
queror, crossed  the  channel,  conquered  England, 
and  established  there  a  great  dynasty,  which, 
with  slight  interruption,  has  ruled  that  great 
nation  ever  since. 

Thus  much  we  learn  from  the  histories  of  the 
lands  they  invaded  or  conquered ;  but  back  of  this 
we  know  so  little  that  a  charm  of  mystery  hangs 
over  these  sea-robbers,  as  they  were  called,  and 
the  land  they  came  from.  If  their  own  histories 
tell  much  we  would  like  tof  know,  they  are 
sealed  books  except  to  the  most  learned  of 
other  nations,  for  the  Norske  language  is  con- 


14  A    SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

fined  to  a  limited  area.  So  that  we  are  still 
confined,  or  at  least  most  of  us,  to  the  scraps 
picked  up  here  and  there  in  the  histories  of  the 
countries  with  which  they  came  in  contact. 

We  have  all  heard  of  Harold  and  Olaf,  and 
others  of  their  warlike  kings  who  built  their  rude 
dwellings  upon  the  rugged  cliffs  and  threaded 
their  way,  with  their  great  fleets  of  little  vessels 
full  of  devoted  followers,  among  the  rock-bound 
islands  and  into  the  deep  fjords,  whence  they 
dashed,  as  if  from  a  well-covered  ambush,  upon 
the  restless  North  Sea,  whose  tempestuous  gales 
they  braved  as  if  sporting  with  a  plaything,  and 
rushed  down  upon  distant  shores,  where  they 
loaded  their  barks  with  booty,  or  drove  away  the 
inhabitants  and  took  possession  of  their  deserted 
hearthstones,  with  the  unconcern  of  real  pur- 
chasers. The  purchase-money  was  blood,  which 
sealed  the  deed  which  was  written  with  the  point 
of  a  lance.  Such  were  the  fruits  of  valor,  such 
was  glory  in  those  rude  times,  when  the  strong 
hand  claimed  as  its  own  all  it  could  grasp,  and 
the  right  was  recognized  and  the  violence  ap- 
plauded by  the  world  at  large;  when  the  sense 
of  justice  was  so  perverted  as  to  recognize  no 
rights  in  the  weak  which  the  strong  were  under 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  15 

any  obligation  to  respect.  Alas,  a  thousand 
years  of  progressive  civilization  and  christianiza- 
tion  have  not  sufficed  to  so  enlighten  the  human 
mind  as  to  enable  it  fully  to  appreciate  the 
wickedness  of  such  perverted  principles.  If,  as 
between  individuals,  the  sense  of  mankind  will 
no  longer  recognize  the  right  of  violence,  poten- 
tates and  states  take  to  themselves  the  fruits  of 
force,  and  complacently  look  around  for  applause 
for  their  mighty  deeds. 

When,  enticed  by  the  charm  begotten  by  a 
little  knowledge  only,  I  resolved  to  visit  Norway 
and  see  for  myself  the  country  and  the  people, 
see  what  they  did  and  how  they  lived,  I  was 
embarrassed  to  find  out  how  to  go,  so  I  went 

o      ' 

to  London.  From  the  imperfect  information 
which  I  had  received  I  supposed  a  line  of 
steamers  sailed  from  England  around  the  North 
Cape  and  into  the  White  Sea,  to  Archangel, 
and  that  thence  I  could  find  comfortable  con- 
veyance by  water  and  by  rail  across  Russia  to 
St.  Petersburg,  and  such  was  my  contemplated 
route  when  I  started.  I  spent  two  days  of  dili- 
gent inquiry  in  London,  without  success.  I  vis- 
ited the  offices  of  Cook,  Bradshaw  and  Murray, 
but  they  could  add  nothing  to  my  stock  of  in- 


16  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

formation.  Norway  was  out  of  the  beaten  track 
of  travel,  and  so  had  not  commanded  attention  — 
Murray's  Guide  was  old,  and  everything  might 
have  been  changed  since.  Fortunately  I  met  a 
countryman  at  my  banker's,  who  was  bound  for 
northern  Norway,  and  who  had  been  several 
months  in  pursuit  of  the  very  information  which 
I  desired.  From  him  I  learned  that  the  direct 
route  was  to  sail  from  Hull  in  one  of  Wilson's 
steamers,  direct  across  the  North  Sea,  for  Trond- 
hjem  ;  *  that  one  would  sail  the  next  Thursday 
evening,  and  he  believed  every  alternate  Thurs- 
day through  the  season,  and  that  he  had  en- 
gaged his  passage  in  her  six  weeks  before,  for 
the  reason  that  he  understood  that  passage  in  her 
was  in  great  demand.  I  immediately  telegraphed 
.to  Wilson,  at  Hull,  for  rooms,  and  was  answered 
that  everything  was  engaged  long  before. 

As  that  was  the  only  chance  to  get  to  north- 
ern Norway,  when  the  sun  was  at  the  highest, 
I  again  telegraphed  to  Hull  that  I  must  go 
on  the  Tasso  —  that  I  learned  was  the  name  of 
the  steamer  —  and  so  would  go  to  Hull  on 
Wednesday.  And  we  did  go,  trusting  to  good 

*  In  Norwegian  names  and  words  the  j  has  the  sound  of  y.  In 
this  word  dh  are  silent,  so  it  is  pronounced  Tronyem. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  17 

fortune  for  an  opening.  On  my  arrival  I  went 
to  the  office  and  made  myself  as  agreeable  as 
possible  to  the  passenger  clerk,  who  finally 
admitted  that  frequently  places  were  given  up  at 
the  moment  of  sailing,  and  if  any  were  aban- 
doned I  should  have  them.  But  I  had  three 
ladies  in  my  party,  and  there  were  but  four 
berths  in  the  ladies'  cabin.  He  could  manage 
one  by  turning  out  a  lady's  maid  who  only  paid 
steerage  fare,  but  even  that  would  make  trouble. 
The  next  morning  I  was  at  the  office  early,  and 
was  gratified  to  learn  that  a  state-room  was 
given  up,  and  I  should  have  it.  He  went  with 
me  to  the  steamer,  introduced  me  to  the  captain, 
and  requested  that  everything  should  be  done 
to  accommodate  me.  The  captain  promised 
much,  and  kept  his  promise.  We  went  on  board 
with  but  one  place  in  the  ladies'  cabin,  trusting 
to  fortune  for  the  other ;  and  that  soon  came ; 
when  the  lady  found  that  her  maid  could  not 
remain  with  her,  she  prevailed  upon  two  gentle- 
men friends  to  give  up  their  state-room  to  her, 
while  they  should  take  their  chances  on  the 
settees  in  the  dining  saloon,  although  all  these 
were  already  engaged.  So  we  were  all  fixed. 
The  first  night  out  we  did  nicely,  for  the 


18  A    SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

weather  was  pleasant  and  the  sea  not  rough. 
The  next  morning  a  fresh  breeze  came  down 
upon  us  from  the  north,  and  the  treacherous 
North  Sea  was  about  to  vindicate  its  reputation. 
All  day  long  the  wind  increased,  and  the  little 
cockle-shell  we  were  in  tumbled  about  in  a  lively 
way.  However  the  sun  shone  brightly,  and  it 
was  reasonably  warm.  I  got  our  ship  chairs  in 
good  positions,  and  the  ladies  passed  the  whole 
day  on  deck,  and  without  suffering  very  much. 
In  the  evening  the  wind  had  increased  to  half  a 
gale,  and  so  much  water  came  upon  the  deck 
that  the  ladies  could  stay  there  no  longer.  I 
staggered  aft  to  our  state-room,  and  saw  at  once 
that  we  could  not  sleep  there.  The  motion  was 
absolutely  murderous.  The  yerk  of  the  propel- 
ler, as  we  toppled  over  the  waves,  would  throw 
me  up  clear  off  the  floor  every  minute.  I  knew 
my  wife  could  not  live  there  half  an  hour,  so  I 
found  the  stewardess,  and  slipping  a  half  sover- 
eign into  her  willing  hand,  told  her  she  must 
make  up  a  bed  on  the  floor  in  the  ladies'  cabin 
for  Mrs.  C.  It  was  a  matter  of  life  and  death, 
and  must  be  done.  She  demurred  at  first,  as 
the  space  on  the  floor  was  not  more  than  five 
by  seven  feet,  and  the  other  ladies  could  not 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  19 

get  into  their  berths.  But  it  had  to  be  done, 
and  so  it  was  done ;  and  when  done  I  got  the 
lady  (she  was  very  sick)  upon  the  floor  as  soon 
as  possible.  It  was  indeed  a  terrible  night. 
The  little  steamer  seemed  to  stand  first  on  one 
end  and  then  on  the  other,  and  then  she  would 
lay  on  either  side  alternately.  Everything  that 
was  loose  in  the  ship  was  thrashing  about  in  a 
lively  way.  It  was  midnight  before  I  got  my 
party  settled,  when  I  made  a  very  crooked  way 
to  the  deck,  and  for  the  first  and  only  time  in 
my  life  acknowledged  the  supremacy  of  Neptune. 
I  then,  wrapped  in  a  blanket,  stretched  myself 
on  the  floor  of  the  dining  saloon  in  front  of  the 
side  seats,  which  were  covered  with  passengers, 
who  could  find  no  better  places  to  sleep.  The 
rolling,  rearing  and  plunging  of  the  ship  made 
their  couches  anything  but  stable  resting-places, 
and  before  long  a  tremendous  sea  struck  the 
bow,  when  it  was  already  lifted  high,  and  the 
shock  was  as  if  she  had  struck  a  rock,  or 
at  least  a  floating  wreck,  and  strewed  the  floor 
with  those  who  had  been  holding  themselves  on 
to  the  side  lounges,  and  the  dapper  gentleman 
who  fell  upon  my  big  boots,  the  feet  of  which 
occupied  a  vertical  position,  growled  and  groaned 


20  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

as  if  his  ribs  were  broken,  and  then  apologized 
for  his  sudden  intrusion  on  my  quiet.  I  do  not 
think  he  was  to  blame.  Screams  were  heard 
from  every  quarter;  state-room  doors  flew  open, 
and  their  occupants  rushed  out  in  dishabille.  The 
expression  on  the  countenances  of  those  who 
suppose  they  are  in  a  sinking  ship  in  a  raging 
sea  cannot  be  described.  It  is  simply  horrible. 
Then  is  the  time  when  all  the  incidents  of  a 
lifetime  are  reviewed  in  a  moment ;  when  the 
loved  ones  at  home  present  themselves  as  if  for 
the  last  time,  and  a  last  adieu  is  thought  amid 
the  anguish  of  despair.  Such  a  minute  is  a  life- 
time long. 

These  fears  were  groundless,  however,  for  the 
little  bark  kept  on  climbing  the  waves  with  per- 
sistent resolution.  In  truth,  the  old  North  Sea 
proved  itself  equal  to  all  I  had  heard  of  it,  with 
—  to  use  a  favorite  English  expression  —  nasty 
seas,  though  not  large  ones.  I  have  been  in  the 
ground  swells  and  in  the  chopped-up  seas  of 
the  Mediterranean,  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the 
British  Channel,  but  they  were  arhiable  as  com- 
pared with  the  waves  of  the  North  Sea,  rolling 
down  from  the  far  distant  Northwest. 

During    the    night    the    captain    had    laid    his 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  21 

course  for  Bergen,  that  he  might  have  the  pro- 
tection of  the  island,  from  the  rough  open  sea. 
This  brought  the  seas  more  abeam  and  enabled 
all  the  large  ones  to  get  on  board. 

When  I  went  on  deck  I  found  a  very  portly 
Englishman,  whom  I  had  left  a  few  hours  be- 
fore sole  occupant  of  the  open  deck,  holding  on 
for  dear  life,  in  a  big  chair,  and  taking  the 
spray  like  a  duck  in  a  thunder-storm.  Now  he 
was  lashed  securely  to  the  chair,  and  that  well 
secured  to  the  hatch  —  an  office  which  some 
sailor  had  performed  for  him  for  a  shilling,  and 
which  he  assured  me  had  alone  saved  him  from 
being  washed  overboard  twenty  times  during  the 
night.  I  thought  once  would  have  done.  He 
was  surely  in  a  sad  plight,  as  wet  as  if  he  had 
been  in  the  cold  ocean  all  night ;  his  teeth  chat- 
tering so  that  he  could  never  get  his  h's  in  the 
right  place,  as  he  poured  out  the  vials  of  his 
wrath  upon  the  North  Sea  and  all  it  contained, 
and  everybody  who  was  such  a  fool  as  to  go 
upon  it,  even  for  salmon-fishing  in  Norway. 

As  the  morning  advanced  the  weather  moder- 
ated a  little,  and  our  course  was  again  changed 
for  Trondhjem,  which  brought  our  head  nearly  to 
the  seas,  when  the  motion  was  more  fore  and  aft, 


22  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

but  less  of  the  rolling  or  rocking  motion,  which 
makes  one  walk  so  groggy. 

All  that  day  and  the  next  night  this  unpleas- 
ant weather  continued,  and  the  steward's  score 
must  have  been  light,  for  very  few  appeared  at 
the  table,  and  most  of  those  who  came  staid 
but  a  few  minutes.  When,  on  the  following 
morning,  we  could  see  the  snow-capped  mount- 
ains of  Norway  in  the  far  east,  all  seemed  in- 
spired with  new  life  and  hope,  for  the  sight  of 
land  is  joyful  to  one  who  has  been  tempest- 
tossed  even  for  a  few  days,  and  the  thought  of 
getting  under  the  friendly  protection  of  the  is- 
lands gladdened  every  heart.  But  our  course  was 
not  for  the  islands ;  it  was  almost  due  north  and 
parallel  to  them.  This  day  I  was  able  to  get 
the  ladies  on  deck  again,  for  they  felt  better  in 
the  open  air  than  in  the  confined  cabin,  and  the 
sight  of  the  distant  hills  was  refreshing.  To- 
ward evening  we  were  evidently  approaching 
the  shore,  and  about  eight  o'clock  the  pilot 
pointed  out  an  isolated  island,  far  ahead,  inside 
of  which  we  should  go.  This  we  passed  at  ten 
o'clock,  while  yet  the  sun  was  above  the  horizon. 

Our  course  was  now  changed  more  to  the 
eastward,  the  open  sea  being  on  our  left,  while 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  23 

we  skirted  along  numerous  islands  which  lay  on 
our  right.  Oh,  how  we  longed  to  get  inside, 
where  we  should  have  still  water  and  a  quiet 
sleep.  At  last  the  door  was  pointed  out  through 
which  we  should  enter  and  find  the  long  wished 
for  calm.  This  we  entered  in  the  dusk  of  the 
evening,  between  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock,  and 
then  we  glided  along  in  waters  as  still  as  if  in  a 
canal. 

We  had  not  been  in  the  habit  of  retiring  be- 
fore dark,  and  so  we  sat  upon  the  deck,  wrapped 
in  cloaks  and  blankets,  waiting  for  darkness  to 
come  ;  but  it  came  not.  At  midnight  we  stopped 
at  a  flourishing  town  of  one  thousand  inhabitants, 
named  Aalesund,  but  still  it  was  only  dusk. 


CHAPTER    II. 


ABSENCE  OF  DOCKS  IN  NORWAY;  PRIMITIVE  MODE  OF  LANDING; 
DAY  SUCCEEDS  DAY  WITHOUT  NIGHT;  SINGULAR  SENSATIONS; 
SLEEPING  IN  DAY-TIME;  BRITISH  SPORTSMEN;  TAX  ON  PRO- 
VISIONS; SALMON-FISHING  IN  NORWAY ;  LEASE  OF  THE  RIVERS 

TO  ENGLISHMEN;  A  DAY  AT  THE  FISHING-GROUNDS;  MANNER 
OF  FISHING;  MR.  BURROWS,  A  VETERAN  FISHER;  HABITS  OF 
SALMON;  DINE  ON  A  FIFTY-THOUSAND-DOLLAR  SALMON. 

THOUGH  midnight,  we  could  see  the  people 
passing  along  the  streets  and  upon  the 
dock,  and  as  they  got  into  the  boats  to  come 
off  to  us.  We  were  now  in  Norway,  where 
steamers  do  not  land  at  docks  but  anchor 
out  almost  as  far  as  they  can  get  away,  and 
make  people  come  to  them  and  go  from 
them  in  little  boats,  and  so  must  the  freight 
be  transferred.  Boats  were  used  a  thousand 
years  ago,  in  Harold's  time,  and  so  they  must 
be  used  now  on  every  possible  occasion.  Be- 
sides, it  keeps  the  people  active  and  used  to  it, 
and  enables  them  to  earn  some  skillings  which 
would  be  lost  should  the  steamer  go  to  dock 

and    let    people  step  on  shore  or  on    board  —  so 

(25) 


26  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

must  native  industry  be  protected  and  encour- 
aged. 

Here  we  were  in  Norway  at  last.  The  land 
of  myths  and  mysteries,  of  ghosts  and  hob- 
goblins, of  giants,  of  norns,  of  fancy  forms  and 
of  fairy  tales,  and  a  thousand  mystic  charms 
with  which  the  imagination  had  clothed  their 
islands  and  their  fjords,  their  mountains  and 
their  streams,  and  their  people  too.  We  thought 
not  of  the  night,  but  strained  our  eyes  in  the 
dim  twilight  to  see  how  looked  their  lands,  their 
fences  and  their  houses,  their  boats,  their  dresses, 
their  forms  and  their  faces.  For  the  latter  we 
need  not  have  been  so  anxious,  for  we  had 
seen  some  of  them  at  home. 

When  we  had  exchanged  passengers  and  the 
Tasso  had  lifted  up  her  anchor,  we  steamed 
away  through  the  tortuous  channels  among  the 
islands,  and  we  saw  it  was  growing  lighter 
before  it  was  yet  dark,  and  we  knew  we  must 
now  stretch  ourselves  upon  the  floor  or  we 
should  lose  the  little  darkness  there  was  to  aid 
us  in  our  sleep,  and  this  was  the  last  of  any 
show  of  night  for  the  month  to  come.  Now  it 
was  that  we  began  to  understand  how  far  north 
we  were,  and  how  near  we  were  to  that  day 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  27 

which  is  a  summer  long.  But  three  days  be- 
fore, we  had  left  England  in  a  night  which 
lasted  long  enough  to  give  one  a  good  refresh- 
ing sleep,  and  yet  in  so  short  a  flight  we  had 
outrun  the  night,  only  the  thin  skirts  of  which 
still  hung  around  us,  holding  a  last  struggle 
with  perpetual  day,  which  lay  but  a  span  before 
us.  Already  the  strange  sensation  of  so  great 
a  change  began  to  creep  over  us,  and  it  seemed 
as  if  we  were  at  the  confines  of  another  world, 
where  the  laws  of  nature,  as  we  had  always 
known  them,  were  suspended.  Already  the  angel 
of  sleep  seemed  to  have  taken  his  final  flight  to 
more  sombre  and  more  congenial  regions,  and 
left  us  to  our  fate,  to  struggle  as  we  might  for 
a  short  repose  with  that  light  so  hostile  to  his 
sway. 

We  slept  but  little  that  morning,  for  morning 
had  come  so  soon  as  evening  had  gone  by. 
During  the  small  hours  the  whistle  blew  for 
Christiansund,  and  I  hastened  out  to  get  another 
peep  at  Norwegian  scenery  and  the  Norwegian 
people.  Here  some  Englishmen  with  their  fami- 
lies left  the  steamer,  for  a  summer  campaign 
among  the  salmon.  They  evidently  meant  to 
have  a  good  time,  for  they  filled  a  lighter  with 


28  A   SUMMER  IN  NO  £  IV AY. 

their  supplies,  prominent  among  which  were 
many  baskets  of  champagne,  with  a  great  abun- 
dance of  provisions  of  nearly  all  kinds  which 
good  living  could  suggest.  From  this  it  was  in- 
ferred that  they  were  not  well  up  to  Norwegian 
Custom  duties,  for  of  all  things  provisions  are 
taxed  more  heavily  than  any  imports  admitted 
to  the  country,  and  could  be  bought  outright  for 
the  duties  which  they  would  have  to  pay.  Well, 
off  they  went,  with  the  good  wishes  of  their 
friends  left  behind,  with  a  journey  of  thirty  or 
forty  miles  before  them  to  reach  the  river  they 
had  rented. 

The  rivers  of  Norway  afford  the  finest  salmon 
fishing  in  the  world,  and  all  are  now  rented  to 
Englishmen.  The  rents  are  paid  to  the  riparian 
owners,  and  the  leases  are  executed  by  them. 
Some  lease  a  whole  river,  others  take  half  a 
mile,  a  mile  or  ten  miles.  Many  have  to  go 
forty  or  fifty  miles  up  the  river  to  reach  their 
fishing  ground,  where  they  have  built  comfort- 
able lodges.  We  should  consider  the  rents  high 
for  six  weeks'  sport  at  the  best,  ranging  from  a 
few  hundred  dollars  to  several  thousands.  Some 
seasons  the  fishing  is  very  fine,  and  the  strings 
taken  are  very  large ;  and  this  indeed  is  generally 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  29 

the  case,  but  sometimes  it  is  very  poor,  and  the 
sportsman  gets  the  exercise  without  the  fish. 
This  was  one  of  the  poorest  seasons  ever  known, 
and  when  I  left  Norway,  the  season  being  more 
than  half  over,  I  only  heard  of  four  having  been 
taken  in  the  regular  way  —  that  is,  with  the  fly, 
and  if  these  were  charged  with  all  the  money 
expended  in  fly-fishing  for  salmon  in  Norway, 
they  cost  more  than  ten  thousand  pounds  each. 
We  had  the  pleasure  of  helping  to  eat  one  of 
these  costly,  fish. 

On  our  return  from  above  the  Arctic  Circle 
some  weeks  later,  we  stopped  a  few  days  at  Storen 
by  invitation  of  Mr.  Burrows,  to  witness  the  sport. 
He  was  the  father  of  fly-fishing  in  Norway,  having 
wandered  thither  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  in 
the  pursuit  of  his  favorite  sport,  and  there  he 
found  it  to  his  very  fill.  He  fished  the  kingdom 
over,  and  finally  leased  the  river  at  Storen  as  the 
most  eligible  of  all,  and  every  year  finds  him  on 
his  favorite  ground,  whipping  the  stream  every 
day,  morning  and  evening,  rain  or  shine,  whether 
the  fish  rise  or  not.  I  thought  I  had  seen  fly- 
fishing before,  and  had  even  made  many  a  cast 
myself  for  trout  and  bass,  though  never  for  a 
salmon ;  but  he  handled  the  rod  with  more  dex- 


30  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

terity  than  I  have  ever  seen  in  other  hands. 
Standing  in  the  tiny  boat,  worked  up  and  down 
the  rapid  waters  by  a  skillful  man  at  the  oars, 
he  would  cast  thirty  or  forty  yards  of  line  at  a 
clean  swing  with  only  a  single  fly,  and  drop  it  at 
the  full  length,  or  at  any  reasonable  intermediate 
point,  precisely  where  he  desired.  I  watched  him 
by  the  hour,  charmed  with  the  skill  displayed. 
He  generally  fished  as  wide  as  possible,  the 
same  graceful  loop  and  curve  always  forming  far 
behind  him,  and  then  stretching  out  its  full 
length  far  away,  the  fly  would  drop  upon  the 
water  as  gently  as  a  light  flake  of  snow  in  a 
calm  day.  But  there  was  no  response ;  with  all 
his  skill  and  all  his  perseverance,  not  a  single 
brake  was  seen.  I  would  have  given  much  to 
have  seen  a  rise  of  a  thirty-pounder,  and  the 
veteran  fisher  fight  him  up  and  down  the  river, 
and  I  think  he  would  have  doubled  my  offer ; 
but  this  could  not  be,  and  so  I  was  obliged  to 
be  content  to  witness  only  half  his  skill. 

"  But,  Mr.  Burrows,"  said  I,  "  are  there  no  fish 
in  the  river  ?  When  in  other  seasons  you  say 
you  would  have  taken  a  dozen  while  I  have 
been  lying  on  this  soft  bank,  looking  at  you  ? " 

"  Indeed,"   he  replied,  as  he  reeled  in   his  line 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  31 

with  a  heavy  sigh,  "  the  river  is  full  of  fish  as  it 
ever  is,  but  they  have  the  sulks  and  won't  rise. 
At  the  mouth  they  catch  them  with  their  infernal 
nets  by  the  cart-load,  and  quite  as  many  as  they 
ever  do.  I  can't  explain  it.  I  can't  understand 
it.  I  have  studied  these  fish  for  twenty  years 
and  more,  and  think  I  know  all  their  ways,  but 
this  is  one  for  which  I  can  conceive  of  no  reason. 
When  I  came  the  water  was  high,  and  I  thought 
that  might  be  the  reason  ;  but  here  I  have  been 
after  them  faithfully  every  day  till  now  it  is  low, 
and  yet  not  a  single  rise.  This  unaccountable 
habit  of  the  fish  is  not  confined  to  this  river, 
but  from  the  reports  I  get,  it  is  universal  through- 
out Norway,  even  clear  around  North  Cape  to 
the  Russian  line,  and  probably  beyond.  The 
same  thing  has  occurred  a  few  times  before,  but 
it  is  very  exceptional.  That  the  fish  are  abun- 
dant, and  in  fine  condition,  is  shown  by  those  taken 
at  the  mouths  of  the  rivers,  where  the  nets  are 
allowed  to  be  stretched  across  them  three  days  in 
the  week.  When  these  nets  were  first  introduced 
they  were  in  constant  use,  and  practically  barred 
the  rivers  to  the  access  of  the  salmon,  and  would 
soon  have  resulted  in  their  total  extinction ;  but 
government  soon  interfered,  and  now  the  fish 


32  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

stand  at  least  half  a  chance,  and  that  is  enough 
to  make  them  plenty  in  these  congenial  waters." 

"  But,"  said  I,  "  would  they  not  bite  at  live 
bait  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  disciple  of  Izaak,  "  no 
doubt  I  could  fill  the  boat  in  a  short  time  by 
tempting  them  with  live  bait,  but  in  doing  so 
I  should  take  no  satisfaction ;  indeed,  I  should 
feel  myself  disgraced,  and  would  never  show  my- 
self at  the  club  again." 

"Of  course,"  said  I,  "you  would  not  adopt 
that  as  a  mode  of  fishing,  but  in  the  cause  of 
science,  surely  it  would  be  permissible.  For  my- 
self, I  am  something  of  a  naturalist,  and  am 
interested  to  learn  all  the  habits  of  the  animals 
which  come  within  the  range  of  my  observation, 
and  it  would  be  interesting  to  know  how  far 
these  fish  have  departed  from  their  usual  habits 
in  this  exceptional  season." 

"  Nay,  nay,"  said  mine  host,  as  he  gravely 
turned  his  face  toward  the  lodge,  having  handed 
his  rod  to  his  attendant  and  beckoned  the  ladies 
and  gentlemen  who  were  seated  within  the  shade 
of  a  large  white  birch  tree,  beneath  which  was  a 
soft  carpet  of  green  grass,  "  it  would  be  very  un- 
scientific to  take  salmon  with  anything  but  a 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  33 

decent  fly.  Deceive  them  with  that  as  much  as 
you  can,  but  do  not  conceal  a  hook  beneath  that 
which  they  must  take  or  starve,  and  then  haul 
them  ashore  as  you  would  a  quarter  of  beef. 
Give  them  a  chance  for  their  lives.  With  the  fly 
it  is  a  trial  of  wit,  and  they  are  pretty  sharp  too 
to  detect  the  imposture.  Usually  they  will  first 
strike  the  fly  with  the  tail  to  see  if  it  be  not  a 
counterfeit,  and  if  it  is  bunglingly  made  or 
handled,  they  will  laugh  at  you  and  dart  away. 
Ah,  it  is  glorious  fun  to  deceive  such  sharp  fel- 
lows, and  then  to  meet  and  disappoint  all  their 
efforts  to  get  away  when  once  you  have  hooked 
one !  I  have  sometimes  had  to  fight  a  big  one 
an  hour,  and  run  all  the  rapids  within  a  mile, 
before  he  would  give  up,  and  sometimes  in  spite 
of  all,  he  will  find  a  snag  or  rock  to  whip  the 
line  around,  and  break  loose.  An  old  salmon  is 
as  cunning  as  a  fox,  but  we  must  look  beyond 
this  element  in  his  character  to  find  a  cause  for 
their  not  rising  to  the  fly  in  a  season  like  this. 
In  the  fore-part  of  the  season  we  attributed  it  to 
the  high  water,  arising  from  the  late  melting  of 
the  snow  on  the  mountains,  and  indeed,  it  has 
always  been  late  seasons  when  this  peculiarity 
has  been  observed ;  but  if  high  water  were  the 


34  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

sole  cause,  we  should  take  them  now  when  the 
water  is  low,  but,  as  you  see,  they  are  as  obstinate 
as  ever. 

"  Come,  let  us  to  the  lodge,  and  see  if  they 
differ  in  taste  as  well  as  habit,  from  ordinary 
seasons.  Adams  killed  one  this  morning,  the  first 
of  the  season  in  these  waters,  and  I  had  hoped 
it  was  the  beginning  of  a  run  of  luck,  but  now 
I  see  it  was  exceptional." 

We  soon  found  ourselves  discussing  the  fish 
at  the  hospitable  board  of  our  kind  host,  and 
listening  to  anecdotes  of  Norwegian  sports,  and 
so  passed  the  time  till  eight  o'clock,  when  we 
returned  to  our  rooms  in  the  town  a  mile  away. 
The  gentlemen  accompanied  us  on  our  return, 
when  Mr.  Burrows,  who  talks  Norsk  like  a  native, 
explained  some  of  our  wants  to  the  landlord,  and 
then  left  us  for  the  evening. 


CH  APTE  R    III. 


CONTINUE  THE  VOYAGE;  AMONG  THE  ISLANDS;  SCENERY  AND 
SIGHTS;  RED  DEER;  ITS  ISLAND  HOME;  FISHERS*  HUTS;  TROND- 
HJEM;  ANCIENT  CAPITAL  OF  NORWAY;  MEET  HATTRAM,  OUR  IN- 
TERPRETER ;  LANDING  AND  RECEPTION  ;  NORWEGIAN  SALUTATIONS; 

THE  STREETS;  FLOWERS;  THE  HOTEL;  NORWAY  BEDS;  DOWN  COV- 
ERLETS;    STROLL     THROUGH     TRONDHJEM ;     POLITENESS     OF     THE 

PEOPLE;  AN  AGREEABLE  ACQUAINTANCE. 

SALMON  fishing  in  Norway  has  led  me  to 
anticipate  events  by  a  month  or  more.  We 
now  found  ourselves  gliding  gently  along  on  the 
still  waters  of  the  bays  and  channels  among  the 
protecting  islands  which  border  the  western  coast 
of  Norway  for  a  thousand  miles,  effectually  pro- 
tecting it  from  the  fierce  ocean  beyond,  which 
expends  its  fury  upon  the  rock-bound  beaches, 
leaving  all  as  quiet  within  as  if  the  winds  could 
not  disturb  the  waters.  We  enjoyed  this  morn- 
ing exceedingly  as  we  threaded  our  way  among 
the  islands  which  bounded  the  vision  on  every 
side.  All  was  new. 

This  morning  we  passed  the  two  great  islands 
of  Hatteroen  and  Smoen,  which  were  pointed  out 
to  us  by  the  officers  of  the  ship  as  the  last  homes 

(35) 


36  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

in  Norway  of  the  red  deer  or  stag  (cervus  ela- 
phus^)  This  of  course  particularly  interested  me, 
and  I  would  gladly  have  stopped  upon  the  islands 
a  few  days  .to  have  learned  all  I  could  of  their 
habits  in  their  wild  state ;  but  time  was  precious, 
if  I  would  see  the  midnight  sun  at  his  highest 
altitude.  So  I  must  content  myself  with  what  I 
could  subsequently  learn  from  reliable  sources. 

This  interesting  deer  has  not,  in  modern  times 
at  least,  been  an  inhabitant  of  arctic  Norway, 
nor  has  its  range  extended  above  the  sixty-third 
degree  of  north  latitude,  even  on  the  west  coast, 
where  the  climate  is  milder. 

The  corresponding  species  in  America  —  I  will 
not  stop  now  to  vindicate  their  specific  identity, 
which  was  recognized  by  the  old  authorities  - 
the  wapiti  deer  or  American  elk  {cervus  cana- 
densis}  affects  about  the  same  temperature  on 
this  continent  for  its  extreme  northern  range, 
which  it  finds  in  the  56th  or  57th  parallel  of 
north  latitude,  and  from  the  iO3d  to  the  uith 
degree  of  west  longitude,  and  in  lower  latitudes 
to  the  east  and  west  of  this  district. 

Formerly,  indeed,  probably  when  the  climate 
was  milder  in  all  the  higher  latitudes  of  Europe 
than  at  present,  perhaps  when  the  arctic  elephant 


RED  DEER  OR  STAG  OF  EUROPE. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  37 

existed  in  incredible  numbers  on  the  borders  of 
the  Arctic  Ocean,  the  red  deer  was  an  inhabitant 
of  Finmark,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  fossil  remains 
which  have  been  found  on  some  of  the  islands 
off  that  coast. 

It  seems  to  have  preferred  the  islands  rather 
than  the  more  rigorous  climate  of  the  interior 
for  its  home,  and  now  in  Norway  we  find  it 
confined  to  these  two  great  islands,  which  are 
separated  by  a  strait  but  a  few  miles  wide,  in 
which  are  a  multitude  of  smaller  islands,  and 
it  may  not  be  improbable  that  they  pass  from 
one  island  to  the  other  if  they  are  as  good 
swimmers  as  the  other  members  of  the  deer 
family. 

On  these  islands  I  was  told  by  good  authority 
that  the  red  deer  are  strictly  preserved,  and  here 
is  presented  an  admirable  opportunity  of  repeat- 
ing the  experiment  of  interbreeding  them  with 
the  wapiti,  which  has  been  successfully  tried  in 
Bohemia. 

The  fishermen's  huts  at  the  little  intervals 
along  the  shores,  surrounded  by  gardens  and 
green  patches,  looked  cheery  and  comfortable ; 
their  fishing  boats  gliding  along  the  waters  or 
standing  quietly  in  position,  the  occupants  indus- 


38  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

triously  engaged  in  their  business,  told  us  that 
contented  people  lived  here,  as  well  as  in  lands 
which  we  call  more  favored. 

We  turned  a  promontory,  and  the  ancient 
capital  of  Norway  lay  before  us.  Centuries  ago 
it  was  the  great  city  of  the  Northmen,  whose 
kings  were  a  terror  to  other  lands.  Here  they 
brought  their  spoil,  and  reveled  with  the  fruits 
of  rapine.  They  were  rude  no  doubt,  and  so 
were  all  their  neighbors.  Bold  they  were  beyond 
all  question,  and  surrounded  by  bold  and  devoted 
followers,  who  dared  all  dangers  whether  by  land 
or  water. 

About  twelve  o'clock  we  dropped  anchor  in 
the  bay,  a  third  of  a  mile  from  the  dock,  and 
were  immediately  surrounded  by  a  squadron  of 
small  boats,  all  seeking  passengers  to  land 
Hattram,  a  Norwegian  who  had  lived  eleven 
years  near  me  in  America,  and  who  was  expect- 
ing my  arrival  on  the  Tasso,  jumped  on  board, 
and  told  me  he  had  engaged  a  boat  for  my 
party,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  found  ourselves 
and  our  trunks,  bundles  and  chairs  propelled 
rapidly  to  shore.  Our  baggage  had  been  in- 
spected before  we  came  to  anchor,  so  there  was 
no  trouble  of  that  kind  on  landing.  I  may  say 


PERPETUAL   DA  Y.  39 

here  that  I  declared  six  pounds  of  tobacco  ;  but 
the  officials  thought  that  not  an  unreasonable 
amount  for  a  gentleman  to  burn  while  seeing  all 
the  sights  of  Norway,  and  so  passed  it  without 
the  asking,  but  were  very  particular  to  inquire 
for  provisions. 

We  stepped  from  the  boat  to  the  floating 
dock,  and  walked  up  to  the  street  between  two 
lines  of  young  Norwegians,  who  seemed  quite  as 
curious  to  look  upon  live  Americans  as  we  were 
to  see  them  upon  their  own  soil.  The  first 
thing  that  struck  us — and  it  was  a  decided 
strike — each  one  took  off  his  hat,  brought  it 
down  to  opposite  his  breast,  and  made  a  graceful 
bow  with  a  pleasant  smile  of  welcome.  Of  course 
I  acknowledged  the  courtesy  in  kind,  and  so  in 
fact  I  passed  through  the  crowd  uncovered. 
The  baggage  was  brought  up  and  put  into  a 
little  rickety  cart,  to  which  was  hitched  a  little 
unkempt  pony,  not  much  bigger  than  one  of  the 
largest  trunks,  so  that  I  had  doubts  whether  he 
could  manage  the  load  up  the  pretty  steep  grade 
which  lay  before  us.  But  he  did,  swinging  first 
to  the  right  and  then  to  the  left,  the  driver 
encouraging  him  vehemently  all  the  way. 

This  was  the  first    horse-talk    I    heard    in    the 


40  A   SUMMER  IN  NOR IV AY. 

Norske  language.  The  words  of  encouragement, 
if  words  they  were,  sounded  more  like  vehement 
grunts  than  articulate  sounds,  and  the  whoa  was 
only  a  violent  flutter  of  the  lips  without  the 
least  attempt  at  articulation,  and  so  my  first 
lesson  in  Norwegian  was  to  learn  how  to  address 
a  horse. 

There  was  no  carriage,  and  as  it  was  only  a 
third  of  a  mile  to  the  hotel,  and  we  had  been 
nearly  four  days  on  shipboard  without  any  exer- 
cise—  there  was  no  room  for  a  promenade  — 
the  invalids  thought  they  would  try  it  on  foot. 
As  there  had  been  plenty  of  time  to  recover  from 
the  terrible  sea-sickness,  they  began  to  dispute 
the  propriety  of  calling  them  invalids.  We 
walked  slowly  up  the  hill  from  the  wharf,  and 
found  ourselves  in  one  of  the  principal  streets, 
broad  and  straight,  extending  more  than  half  a 
mile  to  the  river.  This  street  we  found  paved 
in  the  usual  way  with  boulders,  with  a  flag  side- 
walk on  either  side.  Next  to  them  were  gutters, 
and  outside  the  gutters,  on  one  side,  was  another 
flagged  walk  about  two  and  a  half  feet  wide.  A 
row  of  trees  stood  on  each  side  of  the  street. 
Many  brick  or  stone  dwellings  were  on  the  right 
hand  side  of  the  street,  along  which  we  made 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  41 

our  way  with  moderate  steps,  curiously  looking 
for  new  things.  We  saw  little  to  criticise,  but 
much  to  be  pleased  with.  Perhaps  the  most 
pleasing  of  all  the  observations  we  made  were 
the  beautiful  and  brilliant  flowers  which  filled 
every  window  and  every  porch.  This  we  subse- 
quently found  in  every  part  of  Norway,  and  it 
lends  a  charm  to  the  whole  countrv.  No  fisher- 

« 

man's  cot  is  without  them,  and  they  are  found 
abundant  in  every  mansion.  In  the  latter  they 
find  places  on  elegant  articles  of  furniture  made 
for  them.  In  the  former  they  find  convenient 
place  on  rude  shelves,  or  directly  on  the  broad 
window  sills  adapted  for  their  reception.  In  no 
country  have  I  seen  more  beautiful  house  plants 
or  more  brilliant  indoor  flowers.  Nothing  testi- 
fies to  refinement  and  civilization  more  than  a 
passion  for  the  cultivation  of  flowers.  To  meet 
them  thus  on  every  hand  upon  our  first  landing, 
prepared  us  to  be  pleased  with  whatever  else  we 
saw,  and  so  we  walked  along  in  great  content- 
ment. 

At  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre,  we  found  comfort- 
able rooms  with  comfortable  beds.  To  the  traveler 
there  would  seem  to  be  a  law  in  Scandinavia,  and 
in  Germany  too,  though  I  presume  it  is  not  a 


42  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

written  law,  that,  two  persons'  shall  never  sleep 
together  in  the  same  bed ;  and  so  they  make  all 
their  beds  sufficiently  narrow  to  insure  its  strict 
observance,  and  I  have  frequently  found  them  so 
narrow  that  it  required  careful  balancing  to  keep 
on  them,  though  this  is  frequently  insured  by 
high  side-boards,  and  then  it  is  you  feel  more  as 
if  you  were  crawling  into  a  coffin  than  going  to 
bed.  The  truth  is,  extravagance  in  Norway  does 
not  run  to  beds  or  bedsteads.  Now,  one  would 
suppose  that  in  so  cold  a  country,  double  beds 
would  have  been  found  comfortable,  and  become 
popular,  especially  during  their  long,  dark  winters  ; 
but  I  imagine,  in  the  hotels  at  least,  they  never 
tried  it,  and  probably  would  consider  it  very  unbe- 
coming. I  understand  that  in  private  houses  they 
frequently  have  extension  bedsteads,  which  may 
be  drawn  out  and  double  beds  made  upon  them, 
but  we  met  none  of  these  at  the  hotels.  On 
nearly  all  beds  in  Norway  we  found  a  very  thick 
spread,  made  of  down,  almost  enough  for  a  bed 
of  itself,  and  indeed  we  used  it  as  such.  Now 
in  summer  weather,  those  Children  of  Israel  who 
were  proof  against  the  furnace  could  not  have 
slept  in  comfort  under  this  downy  cover,  but  in 
the  winter  no  doubt  it  is  found  very  comfortable, 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  43 

and  in  summer  it  is  probably  considered  orna- 
mental. Besides  being  narrow,  the  beds  are  also 
short.  I  saw  none  over  six  feet  long,  and  some 
were  much  less.  I  slept  on  one  not  over  eigh- 
teen inches  wide  and  five  feet  three  inches  long, 
with  huge  side-boards.  Imagine  two  hundred  and 
forty  pounds,  six  feet  long,  twisted  into  such  a 
place,  sound  asleep,  and  you  will  think  of  the 
last  letter  of  the  alphabet. 

Of  course  we  ordered  fish  for  dinner  with  as 
much  assurance  as  we  would  order  oysters  at 
Baltimore,  and  at  six  o'clock  we  sat  down  to  the 
finest  dish  of  fresh  cod  I  ever  tasted.  If  we  saw 
others  as  good  afterwards,  they  did  not  taste  so 
well.  Certain  it  is  we  were  not  so  fish-hungry 
afterwards.  Meats  were  on  the  table,  but  we 
passed  them  by  and  dined  almost  entirely  on 
fish. 

After  dinner  I  took  a  stroll  through  the  town. 
It  was  a  time  when  laborers,  merchants,  and 
bankers  were  either  walking  for  recreation  or 
passing  to  their  homes,  so  that  many  were  on 
the  streets,  which  before  seemed  quite  deserted. 
Whoever  I  met,  whatever  his  social  rank,  the 
hat  was  removed  and  brought  down  to  a  level 
with  the  breast,  and  I  was  saluted  with  a  bow, 


44  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

which  I  returned  as  best  I  could,  but  the  hod 
carrier  could  do  this  with  so  much  more  grace 
and  ease  than  I  could  command,  that  I  was 
really  ashamed  of  my  awkwardness,  although  I 
never  before  felt  the  deficiency.  Constant  prac- 
tice from  childhood,  with  careful  training  by  the 
mother,  must  secure  to  all  a  high  degree  of 
proficiency  in  this  act  of  courtesy  so  universal 
here  among  all  classes. 

I  have  traveled  much  and  have  carefully  ob- 
served many  peoples,  and  beyond  all  comparison 
the  Norwegians  are  the  politest  people  I  have 
met.  There  is  a  heart,  a  soul  about  their  polite- 
ness, without  rigid  formality  or  affected  frigidity, 
which  I  have  nowhere  else  seen.  If  politeness 
in  French  society  is  more  elaborate,  it  is  more 
formal,  and  on  its  face  tells  you  it  is  false  and 
mere  affectation,  while  in  Norway  they  make  you 
feel  that  everything  they  have  is  quite  at  your 
service,  and  that  they  are  ready  to  go  to  any 
trouble  to  oblige  you,  without  saying  the  least 
word  to  that  effect.  If  they  promise  nothing  and 
profess  nothing,  they  perform  everything. 

I  had  walked  but  a  little  way  when  a  young 
gentleman  addressed  me  in  English,  and  inquired 
if  I  were  an  American,  and  volunteered  to  give 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  45 

me  any  information  about  the  place  which  I 
might  desire.  He  was  a  clerk  in  the  bank  of  the 
British  vice  consul,  and  was  now  taking  his 
evening  walk  for  exercise.  He  spoke  English 
very  well,  was  evidently  well  educated  and  intelli- 
gent. We  walked  together  for  perhaps  an  hour, 
while  he  furnished  me  a  great  fund  of  informa- 
tion. During  all  this  walk  the  same  salutations 
were  exchanged  with  all  we  met.  I  asked  him 
to  show  me  where  I  could  get  some  matches, 
and  he  took  me  to  a  tobacco  shop.  The  man 
behind  the  counter  was  uncovered,  while  his  hair 
was  carefully  dressed.  The  moment  we  entered 
the  door  my  conductor  removed  his  hat  and 
remained  uncovered  till  we  left  the  shop.  Of 
course  I  did  the  same  —  and  this  I  found  to  be 
the  universal  custom  throughout  Norway.  It  is 
considered  very  rude  for  anyone — except  he  be 
an  Englishman  —  to  wear  his  hat  in  any  store  or 
shop,  precisely  as  in  the  parlor  of  a  mansion. 
Americans  observe  these  things  and  conform  to 
them  much  more  readily  than  the  English.  I 
met  several  Americans  in  the  city,  all  of  whom 
conformed  to  these  gracious  usages,  while  I  con- 
stantly met  Englishmen  in  the  stores  and  shops 
with  their  hats  on.  I  do  not  know  if  they  con- 


46  A    SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

ceive  it  to  be  beneath  their  dignity  to  recognize 
the  salutation  of  the  laborer  or  the  coachman  on 
the  street,  or  to  remove  the  hat  in  the  presence 
of  a  counter  jumper.  For  myself,  I  only  regret 
that  these  acts  of  courtesy,  bespeaking  a  univer- 
sal good  will  among  men,  are  not  as  prevalent 
in  my  own  country  as  they  are  in  Norway.  I 
really  believe  we  should  then  occupy  a  higher 
plane  in  civilization  than  we  now  do. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


NORWEGIAN  HISTORY;  OLAF  TRYGGVESSON;  HIS  ROMANTIC  STORY; 
is  SOLD  INTO  SLAVERY;  KILLS  HIS  CAPTOR;  TURNS  SEA-KING; 
WONDERFUL  PROWESS;  HURRIES  THE  NATIONS;  MARRIES  AN 
IRISH  PRINCESS;  BECOMES  A  CHRISTIAN;  ASCENDS  THE  THRONE; 
CHRISTIANITY  IN  NORWAY;  FOUNDING  OF  TRONDHJEM. 

A  VEIL  of  mystery  hangs  over  the  early 
times  of  Norway,  and  this  may  be  said 
of  much  of  the  early  history  of  all  Scandinavia 
when  it  was  divided  into  petty  principalities,  or 
rather,  I  should  say,  little  democracies,  presided 
over  by  jarls  or  vikings,  which  generally  signified 
sea  robbers  or  pirates. 

And  this  is  even  true  for  some  time  later,  and 
after  these  petty  sovereigns  or  great  freebooters 
had  been  subdued  and  driven  to  foreign  lands, 
or  submitted  to  the  sway  of  the  great  Harold, 
whose  brows  first  bore  the  unified  crown  of 
Norway,  and  who  swayed  his  powerful  scepter 
over  all  her  mountains  and  all  her  valleys,  all 
her  seas  and  all  her  fjords. 

The  Sagas  of  the  few  scholars  and  the  poets, 
who  wrote  or  sung  of  those  olden  times  under 

(47) 


48  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

the  patronage  of  the  jarls  or  kings,  are  generally 
meagre  and  often  contradictory,  full  of  laudation, 
which  makes  one  suspect  that  the  fancy  of  the 
poet  has  helped  out  the  facts,  or  stained  their 
pages  with  animosities  evidently  begotten  of 
prejudice  or  hatred.  Hence  it  is  that  the  stu- 
dent of  Norwegian  history  must  often  be  at  a 
loss  to  determine  how  much  of  what  he  is  told 
may  be  relied  upon  as  fact,  and  how  much  is 
due  to  fancy. 

Now  that  we  have  arrived  at  this  ancient 
city  in  Norway,  we  may  enjoy  our  visit  the 
more  by  understanding  something  of  its  early 
history;  for  without  some  knowledge  of  the 
events  connected  with  the  objects  which  attract 
our  attention  in  our  travels,  we  enjoy  but  half 
the  pleasure  which  they  might  afford  us. 

Could  we  know  the  untold  histories  of  the 
Egyptian  pyramids,  the  ruins  in  Yucatan,  or  even 
the  leaning  tower  of  Pisa,  how  much  it  would 
enhance  our  interest  and  our  pleasure  when  we 
visit  them. 

We  have  already  seen  enough  of  Trondhjem 
as  it  now  is,  and  of  its  people  and  their  habits 
and  present  customs,  to  awaken  a  desire  to 
recall  something  of  the  past;  so  a  brief  scrap  of 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  49 

history,  connected  with  its  beginning,  will  not  be 
out  of  place. 

The  city  of  Trondhjem  was  founded  by  Olaf 
Tryggveson,  near  the  close  of  the  tenth  century, 
on  the  site  of  an  old  city  called  Nidaros. 

As  the  founder  of  this  city  was  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary  men  in  some  respects  of 
which  we  have  any  account,  and  as  his  early 
misfortunes  and  subsequent  career  have  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  an  exciting  romance,  they  are 
entitled  to  be  remembered  during  a  visit  to  the 
city  which  he  founded. 

The  first  Olaf  was  the  grandson  of  Haraldson, 
who  was  the  third  son  of  Harold  Haarfager.  His 
mother  was  Ostrid,  a  sister  of  Segund  of  Russia. 

The  sons  of  Gunhilds,  widow  of  Erik  Blodoks, 
conspired  against  him,  when  he  was  three  years 
of  age,  and  drove  him  and  his  mother  into  exile. 
She  sought  an  asylum  with  her  brother  Segund 
in  Russia,  accompanied  by  her  son  and  his  tutor 
or  foster-father.  On  their  way  they  were  attacked 
by  a  viking,  who  killed  the  foster-father  and 
took  Olaf  and  his  mother  prisoners,  separated 
them,  and  sold  them  into  slavery. 

The  viking  received  for  the  great-grandson 
of  the  great  Harold  a  large  male  goat.  His  new 


50  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

master  soon  traded  him  off  for  a  cloak,  to  one 
Reas.  With  him  he  lived  six  years,  who  seems 
to  have  treated  him  well,  without  making  him 
feel  the  pressure  of  bondage,  and  without  break- 
ing the  proud  spirit  inherited  from  his  ancestors. 

Reas  lived  at  Esttond,  where  he  was  a  man 
of  wealth  and  distinction. 

One  day  when  Olaf  was  at  play  outside  the 
house  with  some  other  boys,  Segund,  who  was 
out  collecting  taxes,  rode  up  with  some  assist- 
ants, when  Olaf  went  up  and  bowed  to  Segund, 
who  seemed  to  be  the  leader.  Segund  saw  that 
he  was  a  foreigner,  and  asked  his  name  and  who 
was  his  father.  "  My  name  is  Olaf,  and  in  Nor- 
way I  have  my  relations,  and  there  was  I  born," 
said  the  sprightly  lad.  "  My  father  was  Tryggve, 
Olafs  son,  and  Ostrid  my  mother,  was  a  daughter 
of  Erik  of  Ofrestad." 

Then  Segund  saw  that  the  boy  was  his  sis- 
ter's son,  when  he  bought  him  and  took  him 
home  with  him  to  the  Russian  court.  Olaf  was 
at  this  time  nine  years  old.  Here  he  lived  un- 
der the  protection  and  instruction  of  his  uncle, 
making  great  proficiency  in  all  athletic  accom- 
plishments, in  which  he  showed  a  dexterity  and 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  51 

courage  far  beyond  all  other  boys  of  his  age, 
which  gave  promise  of  his  wonderful  future. 

One  day  when  he  was  in  the  market-place  he 
saw  and  at  once  recognized  the  viking  who  had 
taken  them  prisoners,  and  killed  his  foster-father, 
and  sold  his  mother  and  himself  into  slavery. 
Burning  with  indignation  at  the  sight  of  the 
outlaw,  the  boy  rushed  upon  him  "  and  buried 
his  little  ax  in  the  viking's  brain." 

He  then  ran  home  as  fast  as  he  could,  and 
told  his  uncle  Segund  what  he  had  done.  While 
his  relative  could  not  help  admiring  and  even 
approving  what  the  brave  lad  had  done  to  avenge 
the  wrongs  received  by  his  family,  he  knew  that 
the  viking's  friends  would  give  him  trouble  ;  for 
those  bold  and  reckless  robbers  had  their  friends, 
and  were  not  without  influence  even  at  the  royal 
courts. 

He  therefore  quickly  took  the  boy  to  the 
queen,  and  told  her  his  story,  and  how  he  had 
revenged  himself  upon  the  viking,  and  besought 
her  to  protect  the  -lad.  She  admired  his  person, 
his  spirit  and  his  courage,  and  at  once  took  a 
great  liking  to  him. 

She  extended  to  him    her  powerful  protection, 


52  A   SUMMER  IN  NOR W 'AY. 

and  finally  compromised  the  matter  with  a  fine 
which  she  herself  paid. 

As  he  grew  up,  however,  he  became  restless 
and  discontented  with  the  quiet  life  about  the 
court,  and  longed  for  more  stirring  scenes,  where 
valor  and  prowess  could  find  more  scope  for 
action;  and  so  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of 
age,  he  took  leave  of  his  protectors  and  friends, 
gathered  about  him  other  daring  spirits  congenial 
to  his  own,  turned  viking  himself,  and  made  the 
Baltic  country  resound  with  his  exploits. 

Of  all  the  men  of  that  heroic  time  he  was 
most  expert  in  the  use  of  arms  and  in  all  ath- 
letic sports.  The  old  writers  can  never  exhaust 
the  theme,  but  dwell,  with  ever-increasing  delight 
and  admiration,  upon  his  wonderful  deeds.  He 
was  a  host  of  himself  in  battle.  Single-handed 
he  could  repulse  a  multitude.  If  he  could  not 
draw  the  bow  of  Ejnor  Thomborskoe,  immortal- 
ized by  Longfellow,  he  could  throw  a  javelin 
with  each  hand  at  the  same  moment,  and  pierce 
different  objects  with  them ;  he  could  keep  dag- 
gers flying  in  the  air,  some  say  three  and  others 
five,  at  the  same  time,  catching  them  by  their 
hilts  as  they  descended,  and  returning  them 
aloft ;  and  as  a  pastime  he  could  walk  back  and 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  53 

forth  outside  the  boat  on  the  oars  when  the 
men  were  rowing ;  and  indeed  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  say  what  he  could  not  do  in  the  way  of 
athletic  or  warlike  feats. 

After  various  exploits  as  a  viking,  we  find 
him  at  the  court  of  King  Burrislavs,  in  North 
Germany,  where  he  was  captivated  by  the  charms 
of  the  king's  daughter  Gejra,  who  returned  his 
love,  and  his  personal  accomplishments  made  all 
forget  that  he  was  an  exile  and  a  sea-robber, 
and  he  was  accepted  as  a  husband  to  the  prin- 
cess. 

She,  however,  did  not  long  live  to  restrain 
the  roving  robber,  and  when  she  died,  to  smother 
his  anguish,  he  again  took  to  the  sea,  and  be- 
came once  more  every  inch  a  viking. 

He  seems  to  have  been  quite  impartial  in  his 
depredations,  except  that  he  favored  his  native 
Norway.  Denmark  and  England,  Scotland  and 
Ireland,  all  were  harassed  by  his  fleets  and  his 
forays.  In  fine,  he  was  the  Kidd  of  his  time, 
terrible  to  his  enemies,  who  feared  him  like 
death  itself,  and  loved  by  his  friends,  who  were 
ever  ready  to  sacrifice  life  at  his  mere  suggestion. 

In  the  course  of  his  forays  in  Ireland,  he 
chanced  to  meet  the  beautiful  Gyda,  who  was  a 


54  A    SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

princess  and  a  great  heiress,  and  to  her  charms 
he  again  bowed  his  head  and  submitted  to  the 
yolce  of  Hymen.  Whether  the  identity  of  her 
name  with  that  of  his  ambitious  and  high-spirited 
great-grandmother,  whose  inspiration  had  stimu- 
lated Harold  Haarfager  to  his  great  conquest,  we 
cannot  surely  say,  but  no  doubt  with  her  person 
and  her  fortune  she  had  sufficient  charms  without 
the  aid  of  that  association. 

Ireland  at  that  time  and  for  more  than  a 
thousand  years  before  had  been  a  great  seat  of 
learning  and  civilization  far  in  advance  of  many 
of  the  other  northern  nations,  and  but  for  intes- 
tine wars,  would  have  been  the  most  powerful. 
But  unfortunately  the  Milesian  blood  expended 
its  valor  in  domestic  warfare,  when  had  their 
energies  been  united  and  directed  against  foreign 
foes  their  less  learned  neighbors  must  have  sub- 
mitted to  their  sway. 

Christianity  was  now  well  rooted  in  Ireland 
and  in  England,  and  Gyda  was  one  of  its  devoted 
followers.  She  was  learned  in  the  literature  of 
her  country,  while  her  new  husband  could  only 
claim  supreme  personal  accomplishments.  She 
proved  an  able  instructor,  and  converted  him  from 
paganism  to  her  own  religion  much  more  than 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  55 

Elphigus,  Bishop  of  Winchester,  who  baptized 
him,  and  he  soon  proved1  as  zealous  a  Christian 
as  he  had  ever  been  enthusiastic  in  his  warlike 
enterprises. 

By  this  marriage  he  received  large  estates  in 
both  Ireland  and  England,  and  found  himself  so 
much  strengthened  that  he  prosecuted  the  war 
for  the  Norwegian  inheritance,  and  finally  fought 
his  way  back  to  the  throne  of  that  kingdom,  which 
he  ascended  in  995,  conferring  royalty  upon  the 
Irish  princess  who  had  filled  his  coffers  with  her 
wealth  and  converted  him  to  Christianity,  with- 
out imbuing  him  with  the  lamb-like  spirit  of  the 
Lowly  One. 

But  he  was  not  the  first  king  of  Norway  who 
had  embraced  Christianity.  Haagan  the  Good, 
the  sixth  son  of  Harold  Haarfager,  had  been 
brought  up  in  England,  where  he  had  been  con- 
verted from  paganism,  but  he  was  of  a  more 
gentle  disposition ;  and  instead  of  propagating 
the  new  religion,  he  was  obliged  to  deny  his 
faith  and  "prove  his  pagan  orthodoxy  by  drinking 
a  bowl  of  horse-soup,  which  was  supposed  to  be 
the  special  aversion  of  Christians. 

Olaf,  however,  was  made  of  different  stuff.  He 
not  only  avowed  his  conversion,  but  he  turned 


56  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

the  lance  which  he  had  used  to  win  his  crown  to 
the  propagation  of  his  faith,  and  offered  those 
who  had  compelled  his  great  uncle  to  feast  on 
horse-flesh  to  bow  at  the  altar  of  the  cross  or 
accept  the  crown  of  martyrdom.  Faggots  rein- 
forced his  missionary  arguments,  and  the  sword 
severed  the  ligaments  which  bound  his  subjects 
to  the  heathen  gods.  But  his  reign  lasted  only 
five  years,  which  was  too  short  a  time  to  estab- 
lish the  faith  of  men  whose  conversion  had  been 
enforced ;  and  when  the  pressure  of  his  mighty 
hand  was  withdrawn,  they  relapsed  to  the  old 
religion  and  did  penance  to  their  heathen  gods. 

Had  Olaf  adhered  to  the  monogamic  teach- 
ings of  Christianity,  and  been  content  with  a 
single  wife,  he  might  have  reigned  long  enough 
to  have  allowed  the-  new  faith  to  have  taken 
root,  but  he  must  marry  another  wife  and  go 
and  claim  her  dower  at  the  point  of  the  lance. 

This  afforded  an  opportunity  for  one  of  his 
most  powerful  jarls  to  betray  him,  to  organize 
his  enemies,  and  lead  them  in  a  great  naval  bat- 
tle, in  which  the  king  fairly  outdid  himself  in 
valor,  and  fought  the  deck  of  his  flag-ship  - 
the  Long  Serpent  —  till  the  last  man  about  him 
was  slain,  and  he  himself  was  wounded,  when  he 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  57 

disappeared  over  the  side  of  his  vessel  and  was 
never  more  seen.  Thus  perished  in  the  prime 
of  life  the  greatest  warrior  Norway  ever  knew. 

Two  years  after  he  ascended  the  throne,  in 
997,  Olaf  laid  the  foundations  of  this  city  of 
Trondhjem,  which  thenceforth  remained  the  capital 
of  the  kingdom  till  it  was  united  to  Denmark. 
He  tore  down  the  temple  of  the  heathen  gods, 
Thor  and  Odin,  which  was  situated  just  beyond 
the  walls  of  the  city,  and  broke  in  pieces  their 
venerated  idols. 

If  this  first  real  attempt  to  establish  Chris- 
tianity in  Norway  was  a  failure,  it  served  to 
introduce  the  subject  to  the  people,  when  it 
became  a  theme  for  thought  and  discussion,  and 
no  doubt  somewhat  paved  the  way  for  its  subse- 
quent acceptance. 


CHAPTER    V. 


THE  GREAT  CATHEDRAL;  OLAF  THE  HOLY;  MIRACULOUS  SPRING; 
KINGS  CROWNED  AT  TRONDHJEM;  PRESENT  DYNASTY;  UNION 
BETWEEN  NORWAY  AND  SWEDEN;  POPULATION;  STEAMSHIP 
LINES;  VARIETY  OF  LANGUAGE  SPOKEN;  ENVIRONS  OF  THE  CITY. 

IF  a  contemplation  of  the  city  of  Trondhjem 
has  betrayed  us  into  an  episode,  a  visit  to 
the  great  cathedral,  which  is  by  far  the  most 
interesting  object  in  the  city,  and  is  intimately 
connected  with  the  introduction  of  Christianity 
into  Norway,  invites,  if  not  requires,  another 
digression  relating  to  the  events  connected  with 
its  origin,  for  without  these  we  merely  look  upon 
a  pile  of  dilapidated  stone  and  mortar,  some  parts 
going  to  decay  while  others  are  being  renewed, 
and  its  statuary  is  crumbling  away  under  the 
breath  of  time,  and  many  of  its  sacred  ornaments 
betray  the  footsteps  of  the  march  of  ages. 

Olaf  the  Second  was  the  great-grandson  of 
the  fourth  son  of  Harold  Haarfager,  and  ascended 
the  throne  of  Norway  in  1015,  after  an  inter- 
regnum of  fifteen  years  since  the  death  of  Olaf 
the  First,  and  eighteen  years  after  the  foundation 

(59) 


60  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

of  the  city.  At  the  time  of  his  accession  he  was 
a  convert  to  the  new  religion,  which  had  already 
made  considerable  progress,  especially  in  southern 
Norway ;  but  in  order  to  smooth  his  way  to  the 
throne,  he,  at  an  assemblage  of  jarls  and  chief 
personages  at  a  feast  given  by  his  mother,  gave 
solemn  pledges  to  respect  their  rights,  which 
they  might  understand  to  include  their  religion. 
They  accepted  his  pledges  without  requiring  him 
to  undergo  the  ordeal  of  the  horse-broth  im- 
posed upon  the  good  Haagan,  nor  even  do  I 
find  that  he  was  required  by  any  member  of  the 
Thing*  to  renounce  Christianity  and  profess  ad- 
herence to  the  ancient  faith. 

We  must  admit  those  early  converts  to  Chris- 
tianity belonged  to  the  church  militant,  in  its 
strongest  sense,  and  were  not  given  to  winning 
souls  by  gentle  suasion.  Olaf  the  Holy  soon 
forgot  his  promises,  or  gave  them  a  forced  con- 
struction which  would  allow  him  to  devote  him- 
self to  the  good  of  the  souls  of  his  subjects,  who 
were  in  the  bonds  of  pagan  wickedness,  especially 
near  Trondhjem,  where  nearly  all  were  yet  pagans; 
so  he  occasionally  ordered  them  to  adopt  the 

*  Thing  —  an  assemblage,  convention  or  congress,  convened  to 
consider  public  affairs. 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  61 

new  religion  or  die  for  the  old.  He  sometimes 
broke  their  idols  to  pieces  before  their  faces. 
He  would  tolerate  no  middle  ground  and  admit 
of  no  delay,  unless  at  the  moment  he  was  too 
weak  to  enforce  his  will.  He  admired  his  prede- 
cessor and  namesake,  Olaf  the  First,  as  a  zealous 
missionary,  and  emulated  his  ardor  in  the  good 
cause.  He  was  a  bold  and  sanguine  man,  and 
never  allowed  a  doubt  to  abate  his  zeal.  But  he 
found  he  had  to  deal  with  a  people  as  zealous 
as  himself.  His  tyranny  disgusted  the  leading 
men  of  the  kingdom  more  than  his  religion,  so 
they  listened  to  Canute,  the  Dane,  who  was  then 
king  of  England ;  they  received  his  bribes,  and 
invited  him  to  join  them  and  expel  Olaf,  which 
he  was  too  ready  to  do.  Finally,  deserted  by 
the  great  body  of  his  subjects,  and  even  by  a 
part  of  the  little  fleet  which  followed  him  along 
the  coast  and  among  the  islands,  with  a  few  faith- 
ful followers  he  fled  across  the  mountains  —  the 
Doverfjeld — into  Sweden.  Here  he  was  kindly 
received  by  his  brother-in-law  and  old  ally,  the 
king,  but  Canute  had  now  become  so  strong  that 
Olaf's  presence  was  thought  to  endanger  his 
friend,  so  he  departed  for  Russia  to  wait  for 
better  times. 


62  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

In  time,  when  he  heard  that  the  vice-regent 
of  Norway,  a  natural  son  of  Canute,  was  unpopular, 
he  gathered  an  army,  returned  to  Norway,  and 
fought  a  great  battle  at  or  near  Stickelstad,  in 
which  he  was  killed,  fighting  like  a  fiend  under 
the  banner  of  the  cross.  A  few  years  later,  his 
body  was  found,  as  some  say,  undecayed,  but  as 
others  explain  the  miracle,  a  blind  beggar  received 
his  sight  that  he  might  see  the  dead  body,  which 
was  regarded  by  the  superstitious  people,  who  as 
yet  were  but  half  converted,  as  a  divine  declara- 
tion of  the  truth  of  the  religion  in  the  cause  of 
which  he  died.  Directly  a  revulsion  took  place 
in  the  public  sentiment.  His  cruelties  and  atroci- 
ties were  at  once  forgotten,  and  he  was  canonized, 
his  remains  brought  to  Trondhjem  and  there 
buried,  where  he  had  built  a  church,  and  he  was 
ever  after  known  as  St.  Olaf,  or  Olaf  the  Holy. 
A  chapel  was  erected  over  his  new  grave,  which, 
by  successive  alterations,  improvements  and  addi- 
tions, has  grown  to  the  present  cathedral,  which 
is  the  most  celebrated  in  Scandinavia.  To  his 
shrine  pilgrimages  were  made  from  all  parts  of 
the  Christian  world,  and  many  churches  even  in 
other  countries  were  dedicated  to  this  precious 
saint. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  63 

Of  course  the  first  visit  the  next  day  was  to 
this  great  cathedral.  Any  attempt  to  describe 
this  building  would  extend  this  sketch  beyond  its 
purpose.  There  is  a  want  of  harmony  in  the 
parts ;  many  are  submitting  to  the  hand  of  time 
and  crumbling  away ;  and  a  part  is  being  rebuilt. 
Built  up  of  pieces  and  patches,  some  hundreds 
of  years  ago  and  others  quite  recently,  the 
whole  is  inharmonious  ;  still  there  is  much  in  its 
architecture  to  be  admired,  and  much  in  its  orna- 
mentation worthy  of  study.  Several  times  burned 
and  several  times  plundered  of  its  costly  treas- 
ures, as  we  wander  through  it  associations  of  a 
discordant  character  spring  up,  and  we  look  with 
interest  upon  a  place  which  has  been  the  theater 
of  such  varied  scenes,  when  ruder  manners  pre- 
vailed, and  glory,  religion  and  violence  were  so 
mingled  and  associated  as  to  present  pictures 
revolting  to  modern  civilization,  and  entirely  at 
variance  with  the  hospitality  and  kindly  feeling 
to  strangers  and  each  other  so  characteristic  of 
the  present  generation. 

Through  a  dark  passage  in  one  corner  of  the 
cathedral  we  were  shown  a  well  to  which  tra- 
dition ascribes  a  miraculous  origin,  for  it  springs 
up,  or  rather  down,  precisely  where  St.  Olaf  was 


64  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

buried.  Its  waters  are  said  to  possess  marvelous 
virtues,  but  we  did  not  try  them,  and  whether 
we  were  materially  benefited  by  looking  down 
into  the  darkness  I  cannot  say. 

The  constitution  of  Norway  does  not  abso- 
lutely require  that  the  kings  of  Norway  shall  be 
crowned  in  this  city,  but  from  deference  to  a 
national  sensibility  such  is  the  custom,  though 
Oscar  I.,  on  the  plea  of  economy,  omitted  it.  In 
obedience  to  this  custom,  Oscar  II.,  king  of  Nor- 
way and  Sweden,  came  to  Trondhjem  and  was 
here  crowned  by  the  bishop,  in  ancient  form,  the 
year  before  my  visit,  1873,  in  the  old  cathedral, 
as  have  been  all  the  kings  of  the  present  dynasty 
except  Oscar  I. 

Although  strong  prejudices  existed  against  the 
founder  of  this  royal  line,  the  present  sovereign 
is  very  popular  in  Norway,  and  his  two  imme- 
diate predecessors,  Oscar  I.  and  Carl  XV.,  by 
wise  and  conciliatory  measures  were  at  least 
equally  beloved  by  the  people.  Although  under 
the  same  sovereign  as  Sweden,  the  two  kingdoms 
are  in  fact  as  independent  of  each  other  as  if 
ruled  by  different  sovereigns.  The  present  con- 
stitution of  Norway  was  adopted  in  1814,  and  in 
its  support  and  the  maintenance  of  the  independ- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  65 

ence  of  the  kingdom  a  degree  of  patriotism  is  felt 
and  exhibited  among  all  classes  of  the  people, 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  which  is  refresh- 
ing. No  suspicion  of  bribery  or  corruption 
among  public  men  is  ever  heard  of.  No  rings 
or  jobbery  is  ever  thought  of,  but  the  public 
men  devote  themselves  in  earnest  and  in  good 
faith  to  the  advancement  of  the  public  weal. 

The  population  of  Trondhjem  is  about  twenty 
thousand,  and  in  refinement  and  intelligence  will 
compare  favorably  with  those  of  any  other  city, 
and  for  hospitality  and  courtesy  to  strangers  can 
scarcely  be  equaled  in  other  countries.  While 
there  are  not  such  colossal  fortunes  as  are  some- 
times found  in  other  lands,  the  amount  of  capital 
owned  is  large,  and  there  is  no  indication  of 
extreme  poverty.  There  is  no  gorgeous  display 
of  wealth  and  extravagance,  but  rather  a  refined 
simplicity  in  harmony  with  contentment,  virtue, 
and  integrity. 

There  is  a  line  of  steamers  which  runs  from 
Hamburg  to  Hammerfest  in  winter,  and  to  Vardo 
and  Vadso  in  summer.  The  former  is  at  the  ex- 
treme eastern  point  of  the  Norwegian  territory. 
South  of  this  the  coast  trends  to  the  west,  and  leads 
down  to  the  mouth  of  the  great  Varanger  Fjord, 


66  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

just  within  the  mouth  of  which  stands  Vadso. 
Although  the  whole  of  this  great  fjord  is  within 
the  kingdom,  the  Russian  line  reaches  nearly  to 
its  south  cape,  so  that  it  is  practically  the  line 
between  the  kingdom  and  the  empire.  This  line 
of  steamers  is  owned  and  managed  here. 

At  all  the  hotels,  stores,  banks,  post  office, 
telegraph  office,  and  indeed  wherever  intercourse 
may  be  expected,  German,  French  and  English 
are  spoken,  and  generally  with  a  good  accent. 
Indeed  all  candidates  for  appointment  in  the 
postal  and  telegraph  service  must  bear  an  exam- 
ination in  these  languages.  It  is  indeed  surpris- 
ing to  observe  how  large  a  proportion  of  the 
middle  classes  are  really  proficient  in  foreign 
languages. 

In  the  afternoon  we  took  carriols  behind  little 
shaggy  ponies,  and  took  a  fine  drive  up  the  banks 
of  the  river  Nid,  and  then  across  the  river  to 
the  high  hills  which  bound  the  city  on  the  east. 
From  here  the  view  is  one  of  the  finest  I  have 
met  with  in  my  travels.  High  above  the  city, 
we  looked  down  upon  it  as  upon  a  map,  where 
every  street  and  alley,  every  building  and  every 
bridge  was  plainly  revealed  before  us. 

On  one  side  the  bay,  one  of  the  most  beau- 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  67 

tiful  in  the  .world,  with  its  bluffs  and  rocky 
islands,  on  the  other  the  river,  which  rushes 
down  from  the  mountains  beyond  and  then  winds 
its  way  with  many  turns  and  a  rapid  current  to 
the  fjord,  embrace  the  peninsula  on  which  the 
city  stands.  Out  in  the  bay  in  front  of  the  city 
stands  the  fortified  island  of  Munkholm,  which 
was  once  used  for  the  confinement  of  prisoners 
of  state.  Here  it  was  that  Christian  V.  of  Den- 
mark confined  his  chief  minister,  Count  Griffen- 
feld,  for  eighteen  years  in  one  of  the  towers,  and 
where  he  came  from  Copenhagen  to  gloat  over 
the  sufferings  of  the  great  minister  who  was  once 
his  favorite.  So  it  is  when  love  is  turned  to 
hate  it  is  the  most  insatiate.  Eight  hundred 
and  fifty  years  ago  the  great  Canute  built  on 
this  island  a  Benedictine  monastery,  and  that  is 
the  first  account  we  have  of  its  occupancy.  Its 
position  is  admirable  for  defensive  purposes,  but 
its  works  could  afford  no  protection  against 
modern  means  of  warfare. 


CHAPTER    VI. 


STEAMER  ACCOMMODATIONS;  CHEAPNESS  OF  TRAVEL;  NORWEGIAN 
MILES;  THE  CURRENCY;  RATES  OF  WATERMEN;  EMBARKATION; 
REASONS  WHY  DOCKS  NOT  USED  ;  DAYLIGHT  AT  MIDNIGHT  ; 
POPULAR  CELEBRATION  OF  MIDSUMMER  NIGHT;  AMONG  THE 
ISLANDS;  THEIR  NUMBER;  COD  FISHING,  CATCHING,  DRYING  AND 
PACKING;  MEALS  ON  THE  STEAMER;  THE  FLAT-BREAD. 

HAVING  done  the  place  the  best  we  could 
in  our  limited  time,  we  made  preparations 
to  go  on  board  the  Hakon-Jarl,  the  little  steamer 
on  which  we  were  to  proceed  on  our  northern 
voyage.  I  had  been  on  board  the  day  before 
and  secured  the  only  state  room  on  the  boat  for 
the  ladies  of  my  party,  selecting  a  place  on  a 
side  seat  in  the  dining  saloon  for  my  own  bed. 
These  side  seats  were  about  six  feet  long  and 
twenty  inches  wide,  and  were  all  occupied  as 
sleeping  berths,  while  other  berths  were  sus- 
pended above  them.  The  Hakon-Jarl  (so  named 
for  an  earl  of  the  tenth  century,  who  was  a 
great  favorite  of  the  Trondhjemers)  is  the  smallest 
steamer  of  the  line  from  Hamburg  to  Vardo,  one 
of  which  leaves  Trondhjem  every  Tuesday  night, 

or  rather  Wednesday  morning,  for  the  north,  the 

(69) 


70  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

year  round,  while  another  steamer  of  a  weekly 
line  from  Stettin,  on  the  Baltic,  via  Christiania  to 
Tromso,  leaves  every  Saturday  morning. 

The  fare  is  very  moderate,  and  by  taking  a 
return  ticket  at  the  same  time,  it  is  procured  at 
about  half  rates,  and  this  is  available  on  the 
boats  of  the  other  line  as  well,  Another  reduc- 
tion is  made  to  families,  whereby  a  family  of 
four  gets  tickets  for  about  the  price  of  three 
fares.  The  passage  fare  does  not  include  board 
on  the  boat,  which  has  to  be  paid  extra  to  the 
steward,  to  whom  that  branch  of  the  business  is 
farmed  out.  This  is  not  high,  but  cheap  as  com- 
pared with  the  expense  of  living  in  other  coun- 
tries. Indeed  I  may  say  here  once  for  all,  that 
the  expense  of  traveling  in  Norway  is  ridiculously 
cheap.  My  whole  traveling  expenses,  including 
transportation,  subsistence  and  service,  did  not 
exceed  three  dollars  per  day  while  in  Norway, 
and  this  included  a  land  journey  of  nearly  two 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  (when  I  speak  of  miles, 
I  mean  English  miles,  unless  special  mention  is 
otherwise  made — a  Norwegian  mile  is  equal  to 
7.018  English  miles),  in  a  good  carriage,  across 
the  Dover-fjeld,  from  Storen  to  Lille  Hammer 
and  Christiania. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  71 

And  now  I  may  speak  of  the  currency  of  the 
country.  This  consists  of  specie  dollars,  marks, 
and  skillings  (pronounced  shillings}.  One  Nor- 
wegian dollar  cost  me,  including  commission,  ex- 
change, and  everything,  one  dollar  and  twenty-one 
cents  in  greenbacks,  when  my  drafts  were  paid  at 
my  home  bank.  At  that  time  the  premium  on 
gold  averaged  about  ten  per  cent.  There  are 
twenty-four  skillings  in  a  mark,  and  five  marks 
in  a  dollar.  Since  I  left  the  country  a  new  treaty 
between  Norway,  Sweden  and  Denmark  has  gone 
into  operation  to  unify  the  currency  of  the  three 
kingdoms,  whereby  the  Swedish  kroner  is  made 
the  standard,  and  the  smaller  coins  decimals  of 
kroners.  Four  kroners  are  equal  to  one  specie 
dollar.  The  former  Danish  standard  was  equal 
to  half  a  specie  dollar,  or  two  kroners.  This 
change  will  be  a  great  convenience  to  travelers 
in  Scandinavia. 

Let  me  mention  here  the  tariff  fixed  by  law 
for  watermen,  whose  services  are  brought  into 
requisition  whenever  one  wants  to  go  on  board 
or  land  from  a  vessel.  They  are  allowed  four 
skillings  —  say  five  cents  of  our  money — for  each 
passenger  and  two  skillings  for  each  trunk  or  box, 
while  the  hand  baggage  —  satchels  and  bundles 


72  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

— go  free.  From  this  one  may  judge  that  the 
boy  who  blacks  your  boots  is  well  paid  with  a 
skilling. 

I  see  I  am  a  good  while  getting  on  board, 
but  as  it  is  daylight  all  the  time,  and  the  steamer 
will  not  sail  till  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we 
need  not  be  in  haste.  I  told  Hattram,  who  I 
had  engaged  as  interpreter,  to  have  a  cart  ready 
to  take  our  baggage  on  board  at  eleven  o'clock 
P.  M.,  and  at  that  hour  we  left  our  hotel  and 
walked  to  the  dock,  which  was  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  distant,  on  the  river,  near  its  mouth. 
When  I  had  visited  the  steamer  the  day  before, 
she  was  alongside  the  dock,  but  now  I  was  sur- 
prised to  find  that  she  had  anchored  out  in  the 
stream  about  twenty  feet  from  the  shore  and  say 
thirty  feet  below  the  stairway  leading  down  to 
the  water.  And  here  was  a  great  crowd  of  pas- 
sengers pressing  forward  to  reach  the  boats  which 
were  passing  between  the  landing  and  the  ship. 
Hattram  got  our  baggage  as  near  the  top  of  the 
stairs  as  possible,  and  then  crowded  down  and 
engaged  a  boat  exclusively  for  our  party.  That 
being  once  settled  he  commanded  the  situation, 
for  the  boatman  would  allow  no  one  to  get  into  it 
without  his  orders.  With  the  help  pf  a  fellow- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  73 

countryman  he  got  all  the  baggage  into  the  boat 
and  then  took  us  in,  and  after  that  admitted  as 
many  more  as  could  be  seated.  The  tide  was 
running  out  like  a  mill-race,  and  the  water  was 
seething  and  foaming  around  our  little  boat,  the 
foot  of  the  stairs,  the  bow  of  the  steamer,  and 
every  other  opposing  object.  We  shot  down  to 
the  gangway  like  an  arrow,  and  crawled  up  the 
ladder  to  the  deck  in  the  crowd  and  confusion 
always  observed  on  such  occasions. 

If  asked  why  the  vessel  was  removed  from  the 
dock  and  all  the  passengers  and  baggage  sent  on 
board  in  the  small  boat,  to  the  very  great  dis- 
comfort of  the  passengers  and  greatly  increased 
labor  in  handling  the  baggage,  I  can  give  no 
more  satisfactory  answer  than  I  received  from 
the  officers  of  the  steamer  when  I  made  the  same 
inquiry.  So  far  as  I  saw  or  heard,  after  faithful 
inquiry,  in  Norway  a  steamer  never  goes  to  a 
dock  to  receive  or  land  passengers,  but  always 
anchors  out  in  the  stream  or  bay,  and  commu- 
nication is  established  with  the  shore  by  means 
of  small  boats.  This  was  universally  the  case 
with  both  passengers  and  freight  at  every  point 
above  Trondhjem,  but  at  Trondhjem  they  went 
to  the  dock  to  land  and  receive  freight.  At 


74  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

every  place  we  stopped  on  the  voyage,  and  it 
was  many  times  a  day,  I  could  see  no  possible 
difficulty  in  building  a  dock,  nor  could  I  hear  of 
any.  The  shores  were  almost  always  bold,  so 
that  a  little  way  from  shore  deep  water  was 
reached  —  always  entirely  land-locked,  no  winds 
or  seas  could  disturb  it,  or  interfere  with  reach- 
ing it.  Not  a  particle  of  ice  forms  during  the 
coldest  winter,  so  the  structure  could  not  be 
endangered  from  that  cause  —  indeed  I  could 
see  or  hear  of  no  earthly  reason  why  the  great 
expense  and  inconvenience  resulting  from  that 
primitive  mode  of  doing  business  should  be 
incurred,  unless  indeed  it  was  because  Har- 
old had  done  so  a  thousand  years  before ; 
and  if  the  truth  could  be  known  I  have  no 
doubt  he  run  his  little  barks  up  to  the  bold 
shores  and  stepped  directly  from  them  to  the 
rocks.  Indeed,  at  many  places  —  yes,  at  every 
town  of  but  a  few  hundred  inhabitants,  there 
was  a  dock,  but  the  steamers  never  went  near 
it.  For  want  of  practice,  the  officers  of  the 
boats  might  find  it  a  work  of  time  and  trouble  to 
bring  them  safely  to  a  dock,  and  so  they  avoid 
it  whenever  that  is  possible.  But  a  little  practice 
would  make  them  as  expert  as  those  in  com- 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  75 

mand  of  our  western  craft,  when  they  bring  them 
up  so  gently  as  hardly  -to  crack  a  nut  by  the 
contact,  and  without  the  loss  of  a  minute's  time. 
Indeed,  I  saw  nothing  else  in  Norway  which  I 
thought  needed  reform  more  than  this.  It  con- 
stantly reminded*  me  of  putting  the  corn  in  one 
end  of  the  bag  and  a  stone  in  the  other  to  bal- 
ance it  upon  the  horse's  back. 

By  the  time  we  found  ourselves  comfortably 
seated  on  the  upper  deck  it  was  midnight,  or 
rather,  I  should  say,  low  twelve.  Still  it  was 
broad  daylight  —  we  could  see  to  read  the  finest 
print,  although  the  sun  had  been  below  the 
horizon  for  some  minutes,  and  it  would  be  some 
minutes  before  he  would  again  appear.  It  was 
the  longest  day  in  the  year,  that  twenty-third 
of  June,  and  according  to  an  immemorial  custom 
the  people  were  celebrating  the  event  in  a  right 
good  jolly  way. 

A  mile  or  more  away  upon  the  hills  which 
surround  the  city  on  the  east  we  could  see 
great  crowds  of  people  congregated,  many  danc- 
ing upon  the  ground  to  music,  only  the  loudest 
notes  of  which  reached  us  in  subdued  strains, 
while  others  were  playing  around  great  fires,  the 
effect  of  which  was  nearly  destroyed  by  the  want 


76  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

of  darkness  to  afford  a  contrast,  and  the  boys 
and  girls  were  playing  romping  games  among 
the  fields. 

Our  glasses  brought  them  close  to  us,  so  that 
only  the  loud  shout,  the  merry  laugh  and  the 
national  song,  which  our  glasses  could  not  bring 
within  hearing,  were  wanting  to  give  us  the  full 
benefit  of  the  scenes  of  joy  which  were  enacting 
on  that  festive  day,  or  rather  night,  if  you  can 
think  of  night 'without  darkness.  There  we  sat 
and  watched  the  happy  gathering,  sometimes 
noticing  a  couple  steal  away  from  the  gay  throng 
and  seem  to  hold  converse  by  themselves,  and 
then  we  felt  sure  that  Cupid  threw  about  his 
darts  among  the  youths  of  Norge  as  in  more 
southern  climes,  where  warmer  blood  is  supposed 
to  flow,  and  there  is  more  darkness  in  summer- 
time, at  least,  to  hide  the  timid  blush. 

At  last  two  o'clock  came.  The  sun  was  well 
up  and  shining  upon  us  from  above  the  island 
peaks  which  dotted  the  fjord  below,  and  the 
crowds  upon  the  hills  began  to  scatter,  but  we 
saw  no  signs  that  our  boat  was  about  to  start. 
So  we  concluded  to  try  to  get  a  little  sleep, 
though  it  seemed  unnatural  enough  to  go  to  bed 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  77 

in  broad  daylight,  although  it  was  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning. 

I  was  asleep  when  we  got  under  way,  and  was 
dislodged  by  the  cabin  boys,  who  wanted  all  the 
room  there  was  to  set  the  breakfast-table.  When 
I  went  on  deck,  I  found  we  were  gliding  along 
among  the  islands  in  still  water.  The  weather 
was  fair,  and  the  sun  brightly  shining ;  still  it 
was  cool  and  even  chilly,  so  that  an  overcoat 
was  necessary  for  comfort.  Indeed,  the  tempera- 
ture was  very  much  lowered  since  the  day  before. 
Hitherto  the  snow  had  only  been  visible  on  the 
tops  of  the  far-off  mountains ;  now  it  began  to 
appear  on  the  tops  of  the  islands  all  around  us. 

I  could  not  learn  that  any  attempt  has  ever 
been  made  to  count  or  number  the  islands  on 
the  Norwegian  coast.  They  must  amount  to 
many  thousands.  They  are  of  every  size,  from  a 
single  point  of  rock  rising  above  the  water  to 
many  miles  in  extent ;  but  everyone  may  be 
called  a  mountain,  if  it  be  large  enough  to  hold 
a  mountain.  In  a  very  few  places,  the  mainland 
approaches  near  to  the  open  ocean,  but  generally 
the  islands  extend  for  many  miles  from  the  main 
shore. 

Not    all    the    channels   between    these    islands 


78  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

are  navigable,  but  generally  they  are  deep,  with 
very  bold  shores,  so  that  the  steamer  may  run 
very  close  to  the  land.  This  feature  reminded 
me  of  the  channels  among  the  islands  in  Puget's 
Sound.  The  islands  are  nearly  all  masses  of 
rock,  and  appeared  to  be  almost  naked,  and  at 
some  places  they  were  entirely  naked  and 
smoothly  polished.  Frequently  they  would  rise 
almost  vertically  out  of  the  water  for  many  hun- 
dred feet,  while  in  other  places  there  would  be 
many  acres  of  smooth  naked  rock  along  the 
shore,  not  level  indeed,  but  quite  accessible. 

These  within  the  Arctic  Circle  were  generally 
covered  with  codfish  spread  out  to  dry.  The 
fish  taken  away  up  in  Finmark  are  salted  in 
bulk  in  the  holds  of  the  vessels  used,  and  when 
the  fishing  season  is  over  they  are  run  down  into 
these  warmer  latitudes,  taken  out,  and  washed 
and  spread  to  dry  on  these  rocks.  When  suf- 
ficiently dried,  they  are  gathered  up  into  small 
round  stacks  about  four  feet  in  diameter,  and 
five  or  six  feet  high,  the  tails  being  placed  in  the 
center,  and  the  broad  portions  at  the  circumfer- 
ence. The  center  being  kept  the  highest,  they 
shed  off  the  rain  so  as  to  keep  the  interior 
perfectly  dry.  Here  they  stand  until  shipped  in 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  79 

sea-going  vessels  to  foreign  countries.  If  we  saw 
thousands  of  acres  thus  covered  with  drying  fish 
along  the  channels  we  pursued,  many  thousands 
more  must  have  been  so  covered  along  the 
numerous  other  channels  which  we  did  not  see. 
I  do  not  remember  that  we  saw  any  of  these 
fish-covered  rocks  till  we  passed  within  the  Arctic 
Circle ;  but  after  that  they  occurred  very  fre- 
quently, till  we  got  nearly  to  Hammerfest. 

The  drying  season  was  drawing  to  a  close,  for 
we  saw  many  parties,  consisting  of  men,  women 
and  children,  gathering  the  fish  from  the  rocks 
and  putting  them  in  stacks.  The  skilled  part  of 
that  operation  was  evidently  the  stacking,  and 
that,  I  observed,  was  generally  performed  by 
women,  while  the  children  gathered  up  and 
brought  the  fish  to  them,  and  the  men  —  well, 
they  seemed  to  be  bossing  the  job  generally,  and 
looking  at  the  steamer  as  she  passed  along. 
After  we  were  gone,  no  doubt  they  worked  the 
harder. 

When  I  had  an  opportunity  of  carefully  ex- 
amining these  stacks  of  fish,  I  saw  that  real 
skill  was  required  in  their  construction ;  they 
were  perfectly  round,  and  their  walls  were  as 
straight  and  regular  as  possible.  When  we  re- 


80  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

turned  some  weeks  later,  nearly  all  the  fish  were 
in  stack,  and  some  were  being  loaded  into  ves- 
sels for  foreign  markets.  Their  appearance  re- 
minded one  of  a  meadow  in  our  own  country 
covered  over  with  hay-cocks. 

This  morning,  we  took  our  first  meal  on  board 
a  Norwegian  steamer.  It  was  served  at  eight 
o'clock.  Those  who  desired  it  had  coffee  brought 
them  on  deck  before  breakfast,  or  took  it  in  the 
saloon.  The  breakfast  was  only  tolerable ;  the 
chops  were  rather  poor,  and  the  steaks  were 
rather  tough;  but  this  we  expected,  for  we  knew 
their  cattle  and  sheep  could  not  compare  with 
those  from  the  rich  pastures  in  lower  latitudes. 
The  potatoes  were  very  fine.  -  There,  as  in  our 
own  country,  the  best  potatoes  are  grown  in  high 
latitudes.  While  rye  bread  was  the  staple,  there 
was  good  wheat  bread  and  sea-biscuit  on  the 
table  for  those  who  preferred  them.  I  observed 
that  the  Norwegians  of  every  class  preferred  the 
rye  bread;  and  so  we  began  to  use  it,  so  as  to 
acquire  the  taste,  if  possible,  for  at  times  we 
should  no  doubt  be  able  to  get  nothing  else,  and 
so  it  sometimes  happened.  The  more  we  ate  of 
it  the  better  we  liked  it,  and  before  we  left  Nor- 
way we  became  rather  fond  of  it.  One  kind  of 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  81 

rye  bread  particularly  attracted  our  notice,  and 
it  was  very  good.  It  was  as  thin,  almost,  as  the 
paper  I  am  now  writing  upon,  evidently  baked 
upon  a  sort  of  griddle  in  sheets  of  an  unknown 
size,  perhaps  as  large  as  a  newspaper.  It  was 
broken  up  into  pieces  of  irregular  form,  and 
of  a  size  convenient  to  pile  up  on  a  plate.  It 
would  take  a  piece  larger  than  your  hand  for  a 
moderate  mouthful.  You  would  eat  an  immense 
surface  of  this  during  an  ordinary  meal,  provided 
only  you  liked  it.  It  is  called  Fladbrod  (flat- 
bread). 

A  different  price  was  charged  for  each  meal, 
while  for  coffee,  tea  and  other  drinkables,  except 
water,  an  extra  charge  was  made. 

We  were  quite  disappointed  at  not  finding  fish 
upon  the  table,  when  we  had  anticipated  so  much 
as  soon  as  we  should  reach  that  piscatorial  para- 
dise. So  it  is  often,  if  not  always.  They  thought 
fish  too  common,  and  so  they  must  treat  us  to 
poor  "mutton  and  beef,  that  we  might  be  favor- 
ably impressed  on  the  start.  I  managed,  through 
my  interpreter,  to  explain  to  the  steward  that  we 
would  be  content  to  have  fish  on  the  table,  and 
would  even  like  it  if  well  cooked.  He  profited 
by  the  hint,  and  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 

6 


82  A   SUMMEJt  IN  NOXWAY. 

some  fine  fat  salmon  taken  on  board  at  the  next 
stopping-place,  and  the  attention  we  paid  to  them 
at  dinner  encouraged  him  to  supply  us  regularly 
thereafter.  In  fact,  we  had  so  much  fish  before 
we  left  Norway,  and  of  the  best  in  the  world, 
that  I  really  felt  scaly,  and  was  sometimes  almost 
afraid  to  look  at  a  hook. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


COAST  TOWNS  AND  PEOPLE;  LOCAL  TRAVEL  AND  TRAFFIC;  NO  BAG- 
GAGE SMASHING;  TORGHATTEN,  THE  NATURAL  TUNNEL;  THE 
SEVEN  SISTERS;  ENTERING  THE  SNOW- AREA;  "THE  HORSEMAN'S" 
ISLAND;  LEGEND  OF  THE  HORSEMAN  AND  THE  TUNNEL;  THE 
MIDNIGHT  SUN;  STRANGE  SENSATIONS  PRODUCED;  A  SCHOOL  FOR 

MYTHS. 

OUR  stops  were  so  frequent  that  our  real 
progress  was  slow,  though  the  little 
steamer  was  smart  when  under  way.  These  fre- 
quent stops  furnished  an  excellent  opportunity  to 
observe  the  people,  and  many  of  their  habits  and 
customs.  Here  the  waters  are  the  public  high- 
ways, and  so  their  carriages  must  be  water-craft. 
They  go  visiting,  to  church,  and  to  business,  in 
their  boats.  A  young  lady  does  not  hesitate  to 
jump  into  her  light  shallup,  and  row  off  half-a- 
dozen  miles  to  call  on  her  associates  and  have  a 
chat  about  parties,  picnics  and  beaux.  Young 
people  enjoy  their  social  interviews  in  these 
boreal  regions  as  much  as  in  warmer  countries, 
and  the  good  dames  enjoy  their  tea  parties  in 

the    fishermen's    huts    with    as    much    neighborly 

(83) 


84  A   SUMMER  IN  NOR W 'AY. 

gossip  as  those  who  occupy  more  stately  dwell- 
ings in  other  lands. 

At  every  station  more  or  less  passengers 
were  let  off  or  taken  on.  Sometimes  hundreds 
would  be  crowded  on  the  lower  deck,  men,  women 
and  children,  with  pigs,  chickens  and  ducks,  calves 
and  cows,  going  to  a  fair,  with  provisions  con- 
sisting of  pickled  herring  and  black  rye  bread  to 
last  them  a  week.  These  might  stay  with  us  a 
day,  or  only  a  few  hours,  when  they  would  disem- 
bark with  all  their  impedimenta. 

It  was  astonishing  to  see  with  what  celerity  and 
care  the  sailors  would  handle  all  this  stuff,  con- 
sisting largely  of  frail  boxes  or  chests,  every  one 
of  which  our  baggage  smashers  would  have  de- 
molished in  a  very  short  time.  In  place  of  a 
satchel,  each  woman  had  a  little  tub  or  box  made 
something  like  a  bandbox,  with  an  erect  side- 
handle  like  a  piggin.  It  has  a  thin  board  cover, 
which  catches  in  a  notch  at  the  handle,  and  fastens 
with  a  button  at  a  point  opposite.  In  this  they 
carry  their  knitting  or  sewing-work,  small  articles 
of  apparel,  and  their  bread  and  the  like.  These 
are  of  various  sizes,  are  very  frail,  and  I  felt  in 
constant  apprehension  of  seeing  them  crushed  as 
they  were  quickly  handled  by  the  sailors,  mixed 


PERPETUAL   SUMMER.  85 

in  with  the  other  baggage;  but  I  never  saw  one 
injured.  All  this  baggage  had  to  be  taken  up 
the  steamer's  sides  from  the  small  boats  and 
landed  in  the  same  way.  Two  donkey-engines 
were  placed  fore  and  aft  to  hoist  heavy  articles 
from  the  boats  and  lower  them  into  the  hold. 
During  all  the  time  I  was  on  board  Norwegian 
steamers,  I  never  saw  but  one  article  injured, 
and  that  was  a  heavy  chest,  from  which  the  rope 
slipped,  and  which  fell  into  the  hold.  At  this 
the  mate  gave  an  exhibition  of  loud  talking, 
but  whether  it  was  Norske  profanity  I  could  only 
judge  from  the  accent  and  the  wag  of  the  head. 
From  these  I  judged  it  to  be  such. 

I  would  cordially  recommend  to  American  rail- 
road superintendents  to  employ  Scandinavian 
baggagemen,  if  they  can  procure  them,  before 
they  have  become  so  demoralized  as  to  think  it 
a  commendable  feat  to  smash  a  trunk  and  scat- 
ter a  lady's  wardrobe  all  about  the  platform,  and 
then  chuckle  over  the  exhibition. 

On  the  second  morning,  soon  after  breakfast, 
we  were  notified  that  we  were  approaching  Torg- 
hatten,  which  is  one  of  the  sights  not  to  be  missed 
on  this  route.  This  is  a  very  steep,  sharp  mount- 
ain more  than  one  thousand  feet  high,  situated 


86  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

on  an  island.  About  half-way  up,  the  mountain 
is  pierced  through  and  through  with  a  large 
opening.  To  see  daylight  right  through  a  mount- 
ain was  indeed  a  novelty;  so  all  were  on  deck, 
and  every  glass  was  brought  into  requisition.  We 
passed  within  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the 
island,  or  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  which  gave 
us  a  fine  view  of  the  natural  tunnel.  The  light 
through  it  looked  like  a  large  white  star.  The 
mate  told  me  that  he  had  been  through  it,  and 
that  it  was  fifty  feet  wide  and  nearly  twice  as 
high,  and  even  much  larger  in  some  places,  and 
about  five  hundred  feet  in  length  ;  that  the  arch 
at  the  top  is  very  perfect,  while  the  floor  is 
highest  in  the  middle,  though  not  sufficiently  so 
to  account  for  the  removal  of  the  material 
which  had  been  disengaged  to  form  the  opening. 
The  floor  is  thickly  strewn  with  masses  of  rock 
and  debris,  and  no  doubt  the  tunnel  is  constantly 
enlarging ;  only  I  do  not  understand  what  brings 
out  the  fallen  material.  We  can  readily  under- 
stand that  after  it  is  once  brought  out  it  rolls 
down  and  is  buried  in  the  deep  water  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountain.  I  will  further  on  give  the  legend 
which  accounts  for  this  hole  in  the  wall. 

Before    noon,    the    first    of   the   Seven    Sisters 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  87 

came  into  view,  and  presently  all  were  visible. 
These  are  seven  very  lofty  snow-capped  mount- 
ain peaks,  which  rise  clear  and  sharp  against  the 
sky  from  the  islands  to  the  west  of  our  course, 
though  we  passed  quite  near  the  feet  of  some  of 
them.  There  is  a  sort  of  order  in  their  arrange- 
ment, and  they  are  near  enough  together  to  war- 
rant a  relationship.  They  are  bleak  naked  rocks, 
and  rising  so  far  above  all  surrounding  objects 
as  at  once  to  attract  attention  and  secure  an 
interest.  In  fact  they  constitute  one  of  the  sights  « 
always  to  be  pointed  out,  and  which  the  traveler 
must  in  no  wise  omit  to  see. 

As  we  were  approaching  the  Arctic  Circle,  the 
snow  upon  the  mountains  prevailed  more  and 
more,  and  approached  nearer  to  the  water's  edge. 
The  intervals  along  the  shores  which  afford  sites 
for  the  fishermen's  huts  became  less  frequent  and 
smaller,  and  the  vegetation  became  more  scanty. 
Already  the  white  birch  became  the  prevailing 
tree,  and  this  was  rarely  more  than  a  shrub. 

As  we  left  the  last  landing,  about  eleven 
o'clock  at  night,  the  captain  told  us  that  we 
should  soon  be  in  sight  of  Hestmandon,  or  Horse- 
man's Island,  which  for  several  reasons  must  be 
considered  one  of  the  interesting  sights  of  this 


88  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

journey.  The  top  of  the  mountain  on  this  small 
island  is  supposed  to  resemble  a  cavalier  mounted 
on  a  prancing  steed,  with  his  cloak  flowing  behind 
him ;  and  from  some  points  of  view,  doubtless, 
with  the  aid  of  the  imagination,  it  may  look  so. 
Many  could  see  all  this  very  plainly  from  our 
position  as  we  passed  it ;  but  for  myself,  I  had 
to  confess  to  defective  eyesight,  though  I  claimed 
to  have  as  much  imagination  as  the  best  of  them. 
One  of  the  passengers,  an  intelligent  public  officer 
of  the  kingdom,  gave  us  the  legend  which  ac- 
counts for  the  horseman  on  the  mountain,  and 
the  hole  in  the  mountain  behind  us,  and  I  am 
sure  I  can  do  authentic  history  no  better  service 
than  to  insert  it  substantially  here. 

"  Before  the  Norwegians  embraced  Christianity 
(and  very  long  before  that  time),  all  the  large, 
rocky  islands  along  the  Norwegian  coast,  as  well 
as  the  largest  mountains  in  the  interior  of  the 
country,  were  inhabited  by  monstrous  giants  or 
trolls,  of  both  sexes.  At  the  island  of  Leko 
lived  such  a  troll,  a  fair  lady  of  great  charms, 
and  at  Hestmanden,  nine*  miles  north  of  Leko,  a 
valorous  giant.  Of  course  this  giant  must  fall  in 
love  with  the  lady,  and  accordingly  he  made  her 

*  Remember  one  Norwegian  mile  is  equal  to  seven  .^nglish  miles. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  89 

a  proposal    of   marriage.     However,   the    lady  re- 
jected his    courtship,   and   he,  becoming    furiously 
enraged,  meditated   revenge,  and   resolved  to  kill 
her.      Being  a  good    archer,  as    most    of   the    in- 
habitants were   in   former   days,  he  took  his  bow 
and    shot    an    arrow  at    the    maiden ;    but    before 
this    arrow  could    reach    her,  it    had   to   pass    the    j 
mountain  of  Torghatten,  through  which  it  made  / 
a  large  hole,  and   struck  off  her   head,  she   being 
then   on    the  further  side.      This   hole,  which  ap-  I 
pears  as  a  round  horizontal  passage  through  the  I 
mountain,    is    to    be    seen    at    this    day    by  every/ 
traveler   in    passing   up    the    Norwegian    coast  to' 
Nordland,    as    are    also    the    fair    lady   and    the 
giant's    arrow,    both    transformed     into    stone,   at 
Leko.      The    giant     man    was     Hestmanden    (a 
horseman),  after  whom  the  island  took  its  name ; 
the  lady's  name  was  Leko   Moya  (the  maiden  of 
Leko)." 

Our  informant  omitted  to  state  one  important 
infirmity  ascribed  to  these  ancient  trolls,  and 
that  is,  that  they  were  inexorably  doomed  to 
night-work.  During  the  day  they  must  remain 
secluded  in  their  dark  cavern  homes,  and  if  by 
any  chance  they  became  belated,  so  that  the  rays 
of  the  sun  once  touched  them,  they  were  in- 


90  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

stantly  transformed  into  stone,  with  all  their  ap- 
pendages. So  it  was  with  Hestmanden.  He 
lingered  on  the  island,  which  was  his  favorite 
nocturnal  abode,  till  he  saw  the  sun  was  about 
to  rise,  when  he  donned  his  armor  with  his  cap 
and  cloak,  and  leaped  upon  his  ready  steed,  which 
made  a  single  bound,  when  the  sun  peeped  over 
the  mountain  top  and  struck  him  with  his  rays, 
when  all  became  fixed  in  solid  granite ;  and  so 
has  he  there  remained  ever  since,  a  warning  to 
all  other  trolls  to  keep  better  hours,  if  not  to 
curb  their  rage  and  forbear  to  shoot  at  lady 
trolls  who  reject  their  suits. 

It  is  to  be  much  regretted  that  the  captain 
would  not  stop,  as  we  passed  it  twelve  hours 
before,  and  allow  us  to  examine  the  petrified 
arrow  which  pierced  the  mountain,  and  the  pre- 
served remains  of  the  fascinating  giantess.  But 
who  can  doubt  the  truth  of  the  story  and  the 
prowess  of  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  the  islands, 
with  the  palpable  evidence  of  the  pierced  mount- 
ain before  us  ? 

The  Arctic  Circle  passes  through  or  over  the 
highest  point  of  Hestmanden  as  if  it  would  split 
the  cavalier's  cap,  and  for  that  reason,  too,  it 
must  be  an  object  of  no  small  interest  to  every 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  91 

traveler.  A  good  while  ago  we  were  in  sight  of 
this  interesting  point,  and  we  very  naturally 
desired  to  pass  it  as  near  midnight  as  possi- 
ble, and  so  as  we  approached  it  watches  were 
compared  with  the  ship's  time  and  held  in  hand. 
I  know  not  if  the  captain  regulated  his  motions 
to  produce  that  result,  but  so  it  was  that  we 
passed  the  imaginary  line  within  a  minute  of 
twelve  o'clock  !  and,  directly  after,  we  passed  an 
opening  between  the  islands  which  gave  us  a 
view  of  the  sun  when  his  lower  edge  was  just 
leaving  the  horizon  and  he  was  commencing  a 
new  day's  journey.  Now  we  had  seen  the  mid- 
night sun  —  the  glorious  spectacle  we  had  come 
so  far  to  see.  The  sun  had  shone  upon  us  at 
midnight,  with  feeble  rays  no  doubt,  giving  a 
strange,  I  may  almost  say  an  unearthly,  light ;  still 
it  was  day,  though  soft  and  subdued,  at  midnight. 
No  lights  were  needed  on  the  ship,  and  none  had 
been  lighted  since  we  had  come  on  board,  for  it 
was  always  broad  daylight.  Up  to  this  time, 
when  the  sun  had  sunk  below  the  horizon,  the 
obscuration  was  as  brief  as  if  hidden  by  a 
passing  cloud.  Practically  the  last  three  days 
had  been  but  fractions  of  that  long  unbroken  day 
most  of  which  was  still  before  us. 


92  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

Thus  far  none  had  thought  of  sleep,  and  now 
to  go  to  bed  after  the  sun  was  so  high  up  seemed 
to  smack  of  dissolute  habits ;  but  we  knew  we 
must  have  rest  to  enjoy  the  scenes  of  another 
day,  so  we  said  good  night  and  stretched  our- 
selves upon  our  narrow  shelves  to  sleep,  and 
dream  wonderful  dreams  inspired  by  these  new 
surroundings. 

There  is  something  about  the  appearance  of 
this  strange  land  which  inspires  one  with  a 
strange  sensation,  and  makes  one  feel  as  if  he 
had  got  into  another  world.  The  light  of  day 
without  a  break  of  night  forces  an  impression 
that  we  are  in  some  far-off  place,  where  the  laws 
of  nature  are  suspended,  and  we  are  prepared  to 
see  an  actual  giant  striding  from  island  to  island, 
or  an  arrow  shot  that  can  pierce  a  mountain,  or 
any  other  strange  scene  or  occurrence,  no  more 
new  than  the  perpetual  day  that  shines  upon  us. 
The  daylight,  too,  differs  from  the  light  of  our 
own  days.  The  rays  of  the  sun  strike  us  so 
obliquely  that  they  give  a  weaker  light  than  in 
our  own  short  days  at  home.  They  seem  to  be 
deprived  of  some  of  the  elements  of  the  rays 
which  reach  us  in  lower  latitudes.  The  light 
seems  faint  or  sickly;  at  least  it  lacks  the  force 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  93 

and  vigor  of  that  which  shines  on  us  at  home. 
Though  you  may  see  as  far  and  as  distinctly  here 
as  anywhere,  yet  the  light  is  different.  Some- 
times when  the  sun  is  low  at  home,  and  has  been 
hid  away  behind  great  masses  of  black  and  angry 
clouds,  he  may  for  a  few  minutes  find  a  crevice 
and  break  through,  and  shine  full  upon  the  earth; 
yet  the  light  is  not  cheering,  but  rather  threaten- 
ing, and  inspires  a  sort  of  feeling  that  something 
unusual  is  about  to  happen.  It  seems  to  me  so 
here.  It  is  not  alarming,  but  it  produces  a  weird 
sensation  as  if  a  new  leaf  was  about  to  be  turned 
in  the  book  of  nature,  when  you  may  look  for 
something  out  of  the  ordinary  course,  and  so 
your  interest  never  flags  in  watching  for  some- 
thing new  and  strange. 

One  day  of  such  sensations  is  worth  a  month 
or  any  longer  time  you  please  of  sight-seeing  in 
other  lands,  where  all  of  interest  is  the  work  of 
poor  feeble  man,  which  at  the  best  but  exhibits 
his  puny  powers  in  efforts  to  imitate  that  which 
God  has  made  in  absolute  perfection. 

If  I  am  singular  in  preferring  Nature's  beau- 
ties to  the  charms  of  art,  I  cannot  help  it.  I 
have  tried  to  love  the  husk  and  neglect  the  corn, 
but  somehow  still  I  feel  subdued  and  yet  elated 


94  A   SUMMER  IN  NO&WAY. 

in  beholding  the  phenomena  which'  are  the  finger- 
marks of  Him  who  makes  stars,  suns  and  sys- 
tems with  no  more  effort  than  the  least  of  all 
the  things  He  has  ever  made. 

In  looking  upon  the  things  around  me,  and 
feeling  the  weird  charm  and  the  strange  sensa- 
tion which  they  must  inspire,  I  could  easily  com- 
prehend the  source  of  the  wild  legends  which 
those  who,  in  former  times  and  with  no  other 
literature,  lived  amid  such  surroundings,  loved  to 
hear  and  tell  and,  if  possible,  to  believe.  Love 
for  the  marvelous  should  here  be  strongest,  where 
so  much  of  what  we  see  and  feel  seems  marvelous 
and  unnatural. 


CHAPTER    VI  II. 


THE  ARCTIC  CIRCLE;  THE  ISLAND  FISHERMEN;  SNOWS  AND  SILVERY 
STREAMS;  LIGHT  AND  SHADE  AT  MIDNIGHT;  EIDER  DUCKS; 
GATHERING  THE  DOWN;  THE  TRADE  IN  DOWN;  THE  EIDER 
FAMILY  IN  NORWAY;  BODO;  A  GOOD  TIME  WITH  THE  CHILDREN; 
THEIR  GOOD  BEHAVIOR;  FLOWERING  MOSS;  AN  ACCIDENT;  LEAVE 
BODO;  PECULIAR  FISH;  ARRIVE  AT  TROMSO. 

1KNOW  I  had  learned  at  school  the  precise 
latitude  of  the  Arctic  Circle,  and  was  ashamed 
to  own  that  I  had  forgotten  it.  A  general  in- 
quiry, however,  showed  that  all  were  as  ignorant 
as  myself —  nor  could  the  captain  or  the  mate 
give  us  the  desired  information.  This  led  to  an 
examination  of  the  chart,  and  I  may  state  for  the 
information  of  others  whose  memories  may  be  as 
treacherous  as  ours  proved  to  be,  that  we  found 
it  to  be  66°  30'  15"  in  north  latitude.  Probably 
none  of  us  who  were  on  board  that  ship  will  forget 
these  figures  again,  for  before  they  were  found 
the  point  created  quite  an  interest.  But  you 
must  remember  that  passengers  on  shipboard  are 
disposed  to  make  much  of  every  incident  which 
can  afford  a  little  excitement  or  amusement. 

(95) 


96  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

The  next  morning,  when  I  went  on  deck,  we 
were  gliding  swiftly  along  the  still  waters  between 
the  islands.  The  islands  were  more  precipitous, 
the  birch  shrubbery  not  so  abundant,  and  the 
intervales  along  the  shores  less.  Still  we  were 
rarely  out  of  sight  of  a  fisherman's  hut,  and  fre- 
quently clusters  of  them,  where  the  ground  would 
admit ;  sometimes  two  or  three  of  these  little 
settlements  would  be  on  the  same  island  and 
quite  near  together,  with  no  roadway  between 
them,  their  only  intercourse  being  by  water. 
Under  such  circumstances  we  can  well  under- 
stand that  each  member  of  a  family  can  pull  an 
oar  or  set  a  sail  skillfully,  and  is  quite  as  much 
at  home  upon  the  water  as  upon  the  land. 

It  was  very  rare  we  were  out  of  sight  of  fish- 
ermen engaged  at  their  work,  although  they 
seemed  more  generally  to  select  the  night,  or 
those  hours  which  are  night  in  other  countries, 
rather  than  the  day,  because  at  that  time  it  is 
said  the  fish  bite  the  best,  though  I  am  at  a  loss 
to  determine  how  the  fish  know  the  difference. 

Now  the  snow  covered  the  tops  of  all  the 
mountain  islands,  and  in  protected  places  ex- 
tended to  the  very  edge  of  the  waters.  The  flow- 
ing rivulets  down  the  mountain  sides  showed  that 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  97 

the  snow  was  fast  melting  under  the  influence  of 
a  perpetual  sun. 

These  rivulets  looked  like  silver  threads 
against  the  dark  background  of  the  smooth 
and  almost  vertical  rock,  in  the  face  of  which 
they  have  worn  for  themselves  little  channels 
which  concentrate  the  waters.  Sometimes,  many 
of  these  will  be  united  into  one  before  they  reach 
the  bottom,  forming  a  considerable  stream,  which 
oftentimes  makes  a  sheer  leap  of  ten  to  a  hun- 
dred feet,  the  light  spray  waving  in  the  wind 
like  the  bridal  veil  in  the  Yosemite  Valley.  In 
one  place,  this  day,  we  counted  twenty-seven  of 
these  little  streams  tumbling  in  milk-white  foam 
down  the  face  of  an  unbroken  rock,  which  rose 
almost  vertically  from  the  waters  of  the  tjord 
many  hundreds  of  feet  high,  and  about  half  a 
mile  long.  Their  sources  were  in  the  snow-capped 
mountain  beyond,  quite  out  of  sight.  Sometimes, 
when  the  mountain  side  was  less  precipitous, 
great  snow-banks  had  accumulated,  beneath  which 
the  streamlets  from  above  would  disappear,  and 
then  again  emerge  before  being  swallowed  up  by 
salt  sea  waters.  The  scenes  among  these  islands 
were  ever  changing  as  we  passed  rapidly  along, 
the  view  now  being  confined  by  the  black  precip- 

7 


98  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

itous  walls  between  which  we  passed,  and  now, 
distant  vistas  were  opened  among  the  islands,  to 
be  again  closed  as  we  passed  into  the  dark 
shadow  of  some  overhanging  mountain. 

It  is  toward  midnight  in  the  Arctic  Circle  in 
the  summer-time,  that  the  richest  scenes  of  light 
and  shade  are  presented  to  the  view  of  the  trav- 
eler among  the  islands  on  the  Norwegian  coast. 
Objects  are  then  presented  as  in  the  shifting 
scenes  of  a  moving  panorama. 

Sometimes  he  sees  the  sheen  of  the  glittering 
snow  on  the  distant  mountain-top  as  the  bright 
rays  of  the  sun  are  reflected  back  in  gorgeous 
splendor,  some  portions  much  lighter  than  others. 
Presently  an  intervening  island  shuts  out  the 
view,  and  then  again  a  different  one  is  opened 
to  his  sight.  Before  him,  he  thinks  he  sees  the 
mouth  of  a  glowing  furnace  bursting  forth  from 
a  rent  in  the  side  of  a  mountain,  which  shortly 
fades  into  a  rich  red,  or  pink,  or  yellow  shade, 
and  diffuses  itself  over  a  broader  surface ;  when 
presently,  he  sees  the  brightness  dying  out  by  his 
changed  position,  till  a  sombre  shade  seems  to 
settle  down  upon  all  around  him,  to  be  again 
dispelled  by  a  virgin  brightness,  which  lights  up 
all  within  his  view,  and  smiles  upon  him  a  win- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  99 

ning  welcome.  Surely  this  is  a  land  of  fairies, 
where  they  dance  and  laugh  and  sing,  without  a 
shade  of  night  to  break  their  revelry.  You  think 
you  see  them  in  their  gay  attire  flitting  from  crag 
to  crag,  or  hiding  in  their  dwelling-caves,  which 
you  imagine  are  lit  up  with  gems  and  jewels  more 
gorgeous  than  human  hands  have  ever  set. 

Well  may  we  expect  that  the  humblest  fisher- 
men living  in  the  midst  of  such  enchanting  scenes 
are  filled  with  a  glowing  imagination,  and  people 
the  hills  and  caverns  with  unreal  beings,  and 
ascribe  extravagant  forms  to  those  who.  lived 
there  long  ages  since. 

This  day  we  saw  the  first  eider-ducks  (soma- 
teria  mollissima).  These  birds  are  only  found, 
at  least  abundantly,  in  the  arctic  waters.  On  the 
Norwegian  coast  they  are  protected  by  stringent 
laws,  which  are  rigidly  enforced,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence they  are  quite  tame,  though  the  passage 
of  the  steamer  alarms  them,  and  they  fly  away 
before  it.  They  are  a  size  larger  than  the  Mal- 
lard duck.  The  male  is  white  and  black,  the 
female  is  of  a  nearly  uniform  tawny  brown. 

Their  down  is  a  source  of  considerable  rev- 
enue to  the  owner  of  the  ground  where  they 
nest,  who  alone  is  allowed  to  gather  it;  for  it  is 


100  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

considered  as  much  his  private  property  as  are 
his  domestic  animals.  They  have  their  favorite 
haunts  for  nesting,  and  the  value  of  an  island 
is  much  enhanced  by  their  partiality.  When 
the  female  makes  her  nest  she  plucks  down 
from  her  breast  sufficient  to  line  it  abundantly. 
This  the  owner  of  the  ground,  after  a  time, 
carefully  removes.  She  suffers  this  to  be  done 
without  leaving.  Again  the  bird  plucks  herself 
and  lines  the  nest  anew,  which  is  again  re- 
moved, when  her  pertinacity  again  prompts  her 
to  furnish  her  nest  with  a  new  lining.  With 
this  she  is  allowed  to  remain  undisturbed,  to 
complete  the  incubation.  After  she  has  left 
with  her  young  brood  another  harvest  is  gath- 
ered from  the  deserted  nest.  This  is  much  less 
valuable  than  the  others,  owing  to  its  impurity. 
None,  however,  is  fit  for  the  market  as  it  is 
taken  from  the  nest ;  all  has  to  be  carefully 
picked  out  from  the  twigs  and  dirt  with  which 
it  had  become  entangled  in  the  nest. 

I  was  informed  that  it  takes  about  four 
pounds,  as  it  is  taken  from  the  nest,  to  furnish 
one  pound  of  clean  down,  fit  for  the  market.  I 
paid  four  dollars  per  pound  for  the  clean  down 
in  Tromso.  This  down  is  of  a  pale  lead  color, 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  101 

and  is  exceedingly  light  and  elastic.  A  pound 
may  be  compressed  into  a  bag  holding  less  than 
two  quarts,  and  no  matter  how  long  it  remains 
thus  compressed,  when  removed  it  springs  out 
to  an  incredible  bulk. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  the  bed  covers 
lined  with  down,  and  some  were  claimed  to  be 
of  eider  down,  but  probably  this  is  rare,  or 
indulged  in  only  by  the  wealthy.  The  coarser 
down  from  other  water-fowl  is  light  enough  and 
warm  enough  to  satisfy  one  not  ambitious  of 
making  a  great  display. 

In  other  regions,  where  the  law  does  not 
protect  the  eider-ducks,  they  are  killed,  not  for 
food  but  for  their  skins,  which  are  tanned  and 
made  into  blankets  or  robes.  The  coarse  feathers 
are  plucked  out,  leaving  only  the  down,  which  is 
very  thick  set.  The  different  colored  skins  of 
the  male  and  female  being  interspersed  make  a 
very  pretty  robe,  though  rather  expensive,  no 
doubt,  and  probably  would  not  stand  much  hard 
wear,  and  indeed  it  should  be  considered  an 
article  of  luxury  rather  than  of  utility.  Tromso 
and  Trondhjem  are  the  best  markets  for  the 
purchase  of  this  class  of  goods,  including  furs. 
Eider-ducks  grew  more  abundant  as  we  pro- 


102  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

ceeded  north,  and  many  were  met  with  every 
day.  We  saw  several  broods  of  young  ones 
following  their  mothers,  generally  near  the  shore. 
They  are  sprightly  little  fellows  and  swim  with 
great  vigor,  and,  when  hard  pressed,  dive  and 
swim  some  distance  under  water. 

The  eider-duck,  which  the  Norwegians  call 
eddr-fugl,  abounds  on  both  sides  of  Fin  mark, 
being  as  abundant  in  the  Varanger  Fjord  as  on 
the  west  coast  and  in  the  Lofodens.  It  is  at 
home  also  in  Greenland,  Iceland,  and  Spitzbergen, 
and  the  other  islands  in  the  arctic  seas,  but  the 
great  value  of  its  skins  has  offered  such  induce- 
ment for  its  pursuit  that  it  is  sensibly  diminished 
in  numbers  where  not  rigidly  protected  by  law, 
and,  I  may  add,  by  public  opinion. 

Although  properly  ranked  as  an  arctic  fowl,  it 
is  not  strictly  so.  While  Iceland  and  southern 

*• 

Greenland  are  below  the  Arctic  Circle,  yet,  as 
we  have  seen,  they  must  be  included  in  its 
habitat ;  and  it  was  formerly  found  even  south 
of  Trondhjem,  and  perhaps  now  and  then  a  stray 
eider-duck  may  be  seen  farther  south.  But 
south  of  that  point  it  is  beyond  the  protection 
of  the  law,  while  north  of  it  the  penalty  for 
killing  an  eider-duck  at  any  time  is  one  specie 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  103 

dollar.  It  is  only  when  we  remember  that  a  little 
money  goes  a  great  way  there  that  we  can  under- 
stand how  this  is  an  adequate  protection. 

The  islands  where  these  birds  breed  are  called 
by  the  Norwegians  fugle-vaer,  or  bird-islands. 

It  is  the  great  elasticity  of  the  eider  down 
which  renders  it  so  very  valuable.  It  is  said 
that  this  elasticity  is  entirely  destroyed  if  the 
down  is  plucked  by  hand  from  the  breast  of  the 
dead  bird.  It  certainly  retains  its  elasticity,  at 
least  to  a  great  extent,  when  it  remains  on  the 
tanned  skin.  About  one  ounce  of  cleaned  down 
may  be  gathered  from  a  nest  in  a  year. 

I  saw  none  of  the  king  eider  (somateria 
spectabilis),  which  is  said  to  be  smaller  and  much 
more  beautiful  in  its  colorings  than  the  eider- 
duck;  but  I  obtained  a  robe  composed  on  both 
sides  principally  of  the  skins  of  the  eider-duck,  but 
a  part  of  it  is  of  the  skins  of  the  king  eider. 
From  these  skins  the  feathers  are  all  plucked, 
leaving  only  the  very  thick  coat  of  down,  except 
where  a  part  of  the  feathers  are  left  to  show  the 
more  beautiful  markings. 

Soon  after  breakfast  we  reached  Bodo,  which 
is  a  very  pretty  town  —  situated  on  a  rising  bank 
—  of  about  six  hundred  inhabitants.  In  1850,  the 


104  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

population  of  Bodo  was  but  two  hundred  and 
twenty-eight,  but  the  great  herring  fisheries  re- 
cently developed  in  that  neighborhood  have  given 
to  the  place  new  life,  and  greatly  increased  its 
population  and  commerce,  so  that  it  now  pre- 
sents a  picture  of  busy  activity.  So  soon  as  the 
anchor  was  dropped,  we  were  surrounded  by  little 
boats  all  anxious  for  fares.  It  was  announced 
that  the  steamer  would  remain  some  hours  here, 
so  nearly  all  went  on  shore.  The  streets  were 
long,  straight  and  clean,  and  the  houses  looked 
neat  and  comfortable.  I  observed  a  good  many 
children  in  the  streets,  from  the  infant  in  its  little 
carriage  to  boys  and  girls  a  dozen  years  old.  I 
directly  made  a  raid  upon  a  candy  shop  and  filled 
my  pockets.  I  soon  proved  that  the  children  of 
the  far  north  have  tastes  similar  to  our  own, 
but  they  were  decidedly  more  courteous  and  well- 
behaved  than  those  to  be  met  with  in  any  Amer- 
ican town. 

I  gave  candy  to  every  child  I  could  see,  either 
in  the  street  or  in  a  house,  and  my  fame  spread 
throughout  the  town  in  an  incredibly  short  time ; 
but  there  was  no  rushing,  noisy,  begging  crowd 
gathered  around  me.  None  asked  me  for  candy, 
but  all  took  it  freely  when  offered,  and  then  by 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  105 

way  of  thanks  shook  my  right  hand.  No  doubt 
when  they  saw  me  walking  along  a  street  they 
managed  to  throw  themselves  in  my  way,  and 
looked  anxiously,  but  a  polite  courtesy  or  bow  was 
all.  If  I  passed  by  without  offering  any,  perhaps 
the  little  miss  would  look  disappointed ;  but  then 
when  I  turned  around  and  motioned  her  to  ap- 
proach, holding  the  candy  in  my  hand,  she  would 
come  up  in  a  becoming  way,  while  the  boys  and 
girls  beside  her  would  not  rush  up  as  if  to  rob 
one,  as  we  should  expect  of  Young  America,  but 
would  remain  standing  aloof  till  called  up  in  turn. 
They  were  smart  enough  to  try  to  cheat  me  a 
little  in  a  very  pardonable  way,  for  I  soon  ob- 
served that  after  receiving  my  candy  in  one 
street,  some  of  them  would  throw  themselves  in 
my  way  in  another  street,  in  company  with  new 
associates,  and  looking  as  if  they  had  had  no 
candy  that  day;  and  a  few  managed  to  get  a  third 
supply,  but  I  was  careful  not  to  let  them  know  I 
recognized  them,  for  that  would  have  made  them 
unhappy,  and  my  object  was  to  make  them  all  as 
happy  as  possible,  for  so  did  I  promote  my  own 
happiness. 

I   soon   found    myself  famous  in    Bodo,   and    I 
feel    sure   I   may    add,    popular,    too.      Even    the 


106  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

adults  seemed  anxious  to  see  how  I  looked,  for 
I  could  see  the  mothers  and  grown  sisters  slyly 
peeping  around  corners  or  through  doors  ajar  to 
gratify  their  curiosity.  I  accomplished  my  object. 
I  made  many  children  happy ;  but  above  all,  I 
learned  their  habits,  and  how  they  were  treated 
and  taught  at  home.  I  found  that  the  first  and 
constant  lessons  they  receive  at  home  are  court- 
esy, politeness  and  good  behavior,  and  so  it  is 
they  show  such  courtesy  when  grown  up. 

After  I  had  shaken  hands  with  most,  if  not 
all,  the  little  children  in  Bodo,  I  took  off  my 
hat  and  made  the  last  as  proper  a  bow  as  I  knew 
how,  waved  my  hand  as  a  final  adieu,  and  went 
down  to  the  shore  of  the  fjord,  where  a  fisher- 
man was  cleaning  his  fish,  and  I  admired  the 
dexterity  displayed  in  the  operation. 

Thence  I  went  to  the  hill  back  of  the  town, 
to  get  a  view  of  the  back  country.  On  the  way, 
I  came  across  some  of  the  most  beautiful  flower- 
ing moss  I  ever  saw,  which  was  in  full  bloom,  a 
tuft  of  which  I  pulled  up  and  took  on  board, 
where  it  was  the  delight  of  all  who  saw  it,  and 
the  great  regret  was  that  all  had  not  time  to  go 
and  find  some  for  themselves. 

I   failed  to  find  my  party  as  I  returned  through 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  107 

the  town,  who  had  been  interesting  themselves 
in  looking  through  the  shops  and  purchasing 
little  mementoes,  and  so  I  went  on  board  alone ; 
but  I  had  to  wait  some  time  before  they  came, 
for  they  had  been  waiting  for  me.  The  day  was 
bright  and  warm,  of  which  I  have  many  pleasing 
recollections.  But  I  met  with  an  accident  going 
on  board,  from  which  I  suffered  many  weeks, 
and  the  effects  of  which  I  felt  many  months.  I 
would  advise  travelers  in  Norway  to  beware  of 
young  boys  for  boatmen,  or  they  may  suffer  for  it. 

We  left  Bodo  in  the  afternoon,  and  made  our 
way  through  the  little  fleets  of  fishing-boats, 
which  told  us  how  industrious  were  the  people 
in  pursuing  their  avocations  at  even  unfavorable 
seasons  of  the  year,  and  in  the  worst  part  of  the 
day.  But  it  is  their  business,  and  nothing  else, 
and  so  they  must  work  in  season  and  out  of 
season. 

We  were  always  interested  in  watching  them, 
and  when  one  was  discovered  fighting  with  a  big 
fish,  glasses  were  brought  to  bear,  and  the  con- 
test excited  a  real  interest,  till  the  great  catch 
was  hauled  over  the  side  of  the  boat  and  lay 
floundering  in  the  bottom.  Occasionally,  we 
passed  a  group  of  boats  which  the  officers  pointed 


108  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

out  ,as  fishing  for  a  peculiar  and  favorite  kind, 
found  only  in  those  particular  places,  and  which 
bite  only  at  particular  times.  These  fish,  in 
northern  Norway,  are  called  iier,  and  in  south- 
ern Norway,  rofish.  As  the  last  name  implies, 
they  are  of  a  red  color,  have  very  large  eyes 
and  mouths,  and  very  large  coarse  scales.  They 
are  considered  the  finest  and  the  most  delicate 
fish  in  Norway,  except  the  salmon,  and  command 
in  the  market  a  corresponding  price.  They  were 
much  admired  on  our  table.  I  did  not  learn 
that  they  are  salted  for  foreign  markets. 

The  morning  of  the  next  day  brought  us  to 
Tromso,  in  front  of  which  we  dropped  our  anchor, 
and  word  was  given  that  there  would  be  plenty 
of  time  for  the  passengers  to  go  on  shore  and 
do  the  town. 

Tromso  is  the  metropolis  of  Finmark,  or  Nor- 
wegian Lapland,  and  is  the  largest  city  within 
the  Arctic  Circle.  Its  population  is  about  five 
thousand  five  hundred  —  an  increase  of  one 
thousand  five  hundred  in  ten  years.  It  has  a 
considerable  foreign  commerce,  its  exports  con- 
sisting principally  of  fish,  oil,  furs,  deer  skins, 
and  eider  down.  It  is  very  prettily  situated  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  fjord.  The  ground  rises 


.     PERPETUAL  DAY.  109 

rapidly  toward  the  interior,  so  that  the  city  stands 
upon  a  hillside.  It  has  many  fine  wharves  and 
docks,  at  which  vessels  were  constantly  loading 
and  unloading,  but  none  of  the  steamers  in  port 
approached  them,  and  all  the  loading  and  unload- 
ing, both  of  passengers  and  goods,  had  to  be 
done  with  the  small  row-boats.  As  I  was  unable 
to  go  on  shore  at  Tromso  on  our  way  north,  I 
will  take  occasion  to  say  something  more  of 
the  place  on  our  return. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


ARRIVE  AT  HAMMERFEST;  EXCURSION  BY  LAND  AND  WATER  TO 
NORTH  CAPE;  THE  TRIP  TO  VADSO;  IMPROVED  WHALING;  EX- 
TENT OF  THE  BUSINESS;  ANOTHER  VISIT  TO  NORTH  CAPE;  HOTEL 

ACCOMMODATIONS;  PRIMITIVE  HABITS;  MOST  NORTHERN  TOWN 
IN  THE  WORLD;  MODERATE  TEMPERATURE;  NAVIGATION  NEVER 
INTERRUPTED  BY  ICE  IN  NORWAY;  THE  EFFECT  OF  THE  GULF 

STREAM. 

ArTER  noon  we  weighed  anchor  and  steamed 
away  for  Hammerfest  At  Ox  Fjord  the 
little  coasting  steamer  came  alongside  and  ex- 
changed mails  and  passengers  with  us.  She 
belongs  to  the  same  company  as  the  Hakon-Jarl, 
and  is  employed  to  run  from  Ox  Fjord  up  to 
Alten  Fjord  and  Bosekop,  and  through  various 
interior  channels  to  Hammerfest,  thus  saving  the 
regular  steamer  a  day's  time  each  way,  and  afford- 
ing more  frequent  communication  to  the  interior 
settlements.  It  makes  the  round  trip  twice  a 
week,  and  between  Bosekop  and  Hammerfest 
three  times  a  week. 

On  the  fifth  day  from  Trondhjem  we  reached 
Hammerfest  about  noon.     After  due  deliberation 

we   determined   to  make   this  the   terminal   point 

(in) 


112  A    SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

of  our  northern  passage.  Although  the  steamer 
went  round  to  Vadso,  which  is  the  terminal  point 
of  her  route  in  summer,  I  could  learn  of  no 
means  to  get  from  there  to  Archangel  except 
by  a  chance  sail-vessel ;  hence  we  determined 
not  to  take  so  uncertain  a  chance,  but  to  return 
to  Trondhjem  and  proceed  thence  to  Christiana 
by  land.  I  have  since  learned  that  there  was  a 
steamer  running  between  Vardo  and  Archangel, 
but  very  irregularly.  After  I  left  there  she  came 
around  to  Tromso  for  repairs. 

Beyond  Hammerfest  the  route  is,  most  of  the 
way,  in  the  open  sea,  the  shelter  of  the  islands 
there  terminating.  This  suggested  the  idea  of 
again  tumbling  about  in  a  boisterous  ocean  on 
a  little  boat,  with  its  attendant  discomforts  of 
sea-sickness  and  cold  weather,  almost  in  sight  of 
the  frozen  ocean  beyond,  and  to  compensate  for 
all  this  there  was  nothing  to  see  but  an  un- 
inhabited bleak  and  rocky  coast  many  miles 
distant. 

It  would  be  something,  no  doubt,  to  see 
North  Cape,  a  bold  headland  nine  hundred  feet 
high ;  but  then  we  had  seen  many  such  within 
the  last  few  days,  only  they  were  not  North 
Cape.  It  is  only  three-quarters  of  a  degree 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  113 

north  of  Hammerfest,  so  there  was  little  to  be 
gained  in  that  direction.  The  only  object,  then, 
was  to  be  able  to  say  we  had  seen  the  North 
Cape.  That,  after  all,  is  not  the  most  northern 
point  of  Europe.  Nordkyn  extends  still  farther 
north ;  but  as  it  is  the  point  of  a  low-lying 
peninsula  still  farther  west,  and  as  the  great 
promontory  on  the  island  of  Magero  is  so 
much  more  conspicuous  and  may  be  seen  from 
the  ordinary  route  of  steamers  around  the  pen- 
insula, it  has  robbed  its  more  humble  neighbor 
of  the  distinction  to  which  it  is  justly  entitled. 
All  the  passengers  went  on,  however,  but 
ourselves.  A  part  stopped  at  a  fishing  hut  on 
the  mainland,  south  of  the  cape,  and  got  the 
fisherman  to  take  them  to  the  island  and  guide 
them  to  the  cape.  From  their  account  it  was  a 
terrible  journey.  They  were  two  hours  in  the 
sail-boat  reaching  the  island.  They  then  had  to 
walk  ten  miles  over  the  most  killing  ground, 
crawling  over  snow-banks  softened  now  by  the 
perpetual  sun,  frequently  sinking  to  the  waist ; 
then  climbing  precipices  or  clambering  over 
huge  rocks,  which  strewed  the  surface  every- 
where. Six  hours  such  work  as  this  brought 
them  to  the  cape  at  midnight.  Here  the  view 


114  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

was  very  grand'  no  doubt.  The  sun  was  shining 
in  the  north,  high  above  the  horizon,  which, 
from  so  high  a  point,  extended  to  an  immense 
distance  toward  the  frozen  ocean,  far  beyond  the 
line  of  vision.  But  it  was  water !  water !  water ! 
nothing  but  water,  agitated  by  a  moderate  breeze, 
sometimes  reflecting  the  rays  of  the  midnight 
sun,  which  covered  the  ocean  with  brilliant  but 
transient  spots  of  intense  light.  There  may  be 
a  sort  of  grandeur  in  desolation  itself,  if  only  it 
be  vast  enough.  If  so,  then  Magero,  with  its 
surroundings,  is  a  grand  place.  On  the  land 
every  part  presents  a  scene  of  the  wildest  des- 
olation, and  to  look  out  to  sea  one  involun- 
tarily shudders  at  the  thought  of  being  there  in 
a  howling  storm  or  of  being  cast  upon  the 
frowning  rock  and  of  what  a  cold  sepulchre  it 
would  make. 

Perspiring  freely  under  the  excessive  labor 
of  the  journey,  our  friends  soon  felt  chilled 
with  the  bleak  winds  of  the  cold  North  Cape. 
It  was  worth  a  human  life  to  stand  there  Jong 
to  gaze  upon  what  they  had  come  so  far  to 
see.  The  guide  had  brought  some  rye  bread 
and  cold  reindeer  meat,  which  they  hastily  dis- 
patched, and  soon  started  on  the  reiurn  journey. 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  115 

The  guide  led  the  way  at  a  rapid  pace,  and 
the  already  half-exhausted  pedestrians  scrambled 
along  as  best  they  could,  over  the  snow-banks 
and  broken  rock,  through  pools  of  water  from 
the  melting  snows  —  the  trail  sometimes  leading 
through  deep  clefts  of  the  rocks,  through  which 
they  had  to  squeeze  themselves. 

There  was  one  lady  in  the  party,  and  she 
proved  herself  equal  to  the  occasion.  If  the 
gentlemen  had  feared  they  would  have  to  pack 
her  in,  they  must  have  felt  relieved  when  she 
not  only  took  care  of  herself  but  was  able  to 
help  do  some  packing  for  others.  That  is  the 
sort  of  woman  to  go  roughing  it  with.  In  such 
places  no  doubt  they  are  very  good. 

They  reached  the  boat  after  twelve  hours  of 
as  hard  work  as  the  most  enthusiastic  traveler 
would  desire  to  endure.  It  was  in  the  night-time 
too,  but  then  it  was  night  only  in  name,  for  night 
and  day  are  all  the  same  up  there.  But  then 
they  had  seen  the  midnight  sun  from  North  Cape, 
and  this  but  a  very  small  proportion  of  the 
human  race  have  ever  seen  or  may  ever  hope 
to  see.  The  wind  was  adverse,  and  blowing  a 
smart  breese,  so  there  was  nothing  left  for  them 
but  to  beat  their  way  back  to  the  fisher's  hut, 


116  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

where  all  the  ladies  of  the  party  had  been  left 
except  the  one  referred  to.  This  took  four 
hours  of  pretty  wet  work,  for  the  little  sail-boat 
would  often  take  more  water  than  was  comfort- 
able for  those  within  her. 

The  wives  and  mothers  who  remained  at  the 
hut  looked  long  and  anxiously  for  the  return  of 
the  party,  and  long  before  they  could  descry  the 
little  vessel  dancing  on  the  top  of  the  waves, 
struggling  with  the  adverse  winds,  a  sickening 
fear  came  upon  them  that  some  sad  calamity  had 
happened,  which  alone  could  cause  such  unex- 
pected delay.  Their  anxiety  would  not  have 
been  lessened  had  they  known  the  actual  facts. 
Nor  was  the  relief  complete  when  they  saw  the 
party  were  returning.  Who  that  has  seen  a  sail- 
boat containing  some  loved  one  miles  away  upon 
the  rolling  waters,  does  not  remember  how  the 
heart  will  sink  and  almost  cease  to  throb  when- 
ever the  boat  drops  quite  out  of  sight  between 
the  waves,  almost  sure  that  she  had  sunk  beneath 
them  ;  and  who  can  forget  the  flutter  of  returning 
joy  and  hope  when  it  is  again  seen  to  rise  proudly 
over  the  swell  and  hurry  on  its  way  ?  Four  hours 
watching  such  a  boat,  with  the  rapid  alternations 
of  fear  and  hope,  is  a  sickening  task,  and  harder 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  117 

on  the  nerves,  at  least,  and  more  distressing,  than 
the  rough  journey  which  the  others  had  endured. 
There  was  joy  in  that  cabin  when  the  party  safely 
landed,  though  wet,  and  well  worn  out,  and  nearly 
famished.  They  had  been  gone  eighteen  hours, 
and  had  seen  the  North  Cape,  and — some  other 
things,  too. 

I  am  indebted  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  K—  — ,  who 
was  one  of  the  party,  for  an  account  of  this 
excursion,  which  he  gave  me  when  we  met  a  few 
days  later,  and  who  expressed  'the  opinion  that 
we  had  acted  wisely  when  we  stopped  at  Ham- 
merfest,  and  his  wife  and  mother  emphatically 
concurred  in  this  opinion. 

Mr.  R—  — ,  of  Chicago,  was  more  fortunate. 
He  continued  in  the  steamer  and  went  on  to 
Vadso.  This  is  a  distinguished  whaling  station, 
where  the  business  is  carried  on  by  a  wealthy 
company  on  a  large  scale.  They  employ  several 
steamers  in  the  service,  which  are  provided  with 
the  most  improved  device  for  killing  their  prey. 
The  most  important  is  a  harpoon  which  is  shot 
from  a  portable  gun,  which  may  be  carried  in 
the  bow  of  the  whale-boat,  or  from  the  steamer. 
After  the  harpoon  has  been  shot  into  the  whale, 
either  from  the  steamer  or  the  whale-boat,  he  is 


118  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

followed  as  in  the  old  way,  or  if  from  the  steamer 
with  all  the  steam  possible,  and  when  he  rises  to 
blow  an  explosive  torpedo  is  fired  at  him,  and 
when  one  takes  effect  it  kills  him  at  once. 

When  the  fish  is  killed  it  is  taken  in  tow  by 
the  steamer  and  brought  into  port,  where  with 
the  aid  of  powerful  tackle  it  is  hauled  upon  ways, 
and  the  blubber  is  peeled  off  and  tried  out,  and 
every  part  of  the  animal  which  can  be  utilized  is 
saved  and  prepared  for  the  market.  Two  were 
on  the  ways  and  being  cut  up  when  he  was 
there.  f  Up  to  the  first  of  July  the  catch  had 
already  amounted  to  twenty-eight  this  season, 
and  I  heard  afterwards  from  a  gentleman  who 
had  left  there  a  month  later  that  a  dozen  more 
had  been  added  to  the  number.  The  steamers 
cruise  out  a  hundred  miles  or  more  in  pursuit 
of  their  game. 

This  business  was  first  started  by  an  enter- 
prising Norwegian  by  the  name  of  Sven  Toyen, 
who  had  made  a  fortune  in  catching  seals  on  the 
island  of  Yan  Mayen.  When  he  first  proposed 
to  catch  whales  by  steam  he  was  as  much  ridi- 
culed by  the  whaleman  as  Fulton  was  when  he 
proposed  to  propel  a  boat  by  steam ;  but  his 
resources  proved  equal  to  the  undertaking,  and 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  119 

he  now  has  probably  the  most  successful  whale 
fishery  in  the  world.  The  first  steamer  which 
he  used  in  this  novel  service  was  called  the 
"  Spes  and  Fides." 

Those  who  made  the  round  trip  on  the  Hakon- 
Jarl  were  more  fortunate  than  those  who  stopped 
at  the  fisherman's  hut.  When  North  Cape  was 
reached,  the  wind  had  died  away  and  the  sea  had 
gone  down,  so  that  a  landing  was  practicable. 
The  captain  ran  the  steamer  in  as  near  as  was 
prudent  to  the  only  point  where  a  landing  can 
be  made,  and  an  ascent  possible.  He  lowered 
away  the  boat,  and  took  such  on  shore  as  chose 
to  undertake  the  feat,  and  led  the  way  himself  up 
the  steep  ascent.  Some  gave  out  on  the  way,  but 
five  gained  the  summit  in  time  to  see  the  sun  at 
midnight  from  the  same  point  occupied  by  the 
other  party  the  night  before.  They  were  just 
forty-five  minutes  climbing  the  nine  hundred  feet. 
No  serious  difficulties  were  met  with ;  it  was  simply 
a  question  of  muscle  and  endurance.  Beside  being 
very  steep,  the  foothold  was  bad,  so  that  one  had 
to  fairly  cling  to  the  side  of  the  ascent,  and  a 
misstep  was  liable  to  start  him  rolling  to  the 
beach  below.  As  the  position  of  the  ship  was 
not  considered  a  very  safe  one  in  case  of  a  sud- 


120  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

den  change  of  weather,  which  was  liable  to  occur 
in  that  latitude,  the  stay  on  the  cape  was  not  un- 
necessarily protracted.  But  indeed  no  great  time 
was  wanted,  for  however  grand  the  view,  the 
whole  could  be  comprehended  in  a  glance. 

It  is  not  often  that  the  weather  is  such  as  to 
safely  admit  the  landing  to  be  made ;  yet  when- 
ever it  is  practicable,  I  understand  it  is  usual  to 
make  this  landing  if  there  are  passengers  on 
board  who  desire  to  make  the  ascent.  But  if 
one  must  ascend  the  cape  the  only  thing  for  him 
to  do  is  to  stop  at  the  fisherman's  hut,  and  obtain 
his  aid  to  accomplish  the  journey.  This,  too,  will 
introduce  him  to  a  plainer  way  of  living  than 
even  he  will  find  in  towns  along  his  route,  and 
this  is  necessary  if  one  would  understand  every 
phase  of  life  in  the  country  which  the  traveler 
visits. 

We  dined  on  the  steamer  before  going  on 
shore  at  Hammerfest.  After  dinner,  we  bade  our 
friends  good-by,  and  got  into  a  little  boat  and 
pulled  to  shore,  which  was  not  two  hundred  feet 
from  the  dock.  Just  across  the  street  from  the 
dock  we  found  our  hotel,  to  which  we  had  sent  a 
telegram  for  rooms.  I  believe  it  is  the  only  hotel 
in  Hammerfest,  and  cannot  be  charged  with  mak- 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  121 

ing  great  pretensions.  We  found  two  rooms 
ready  for  us,  with  two  little  beds  in  each ;  or 
rather,  in  the  one  we  occupied  there  was  one  of 
the  coffin-like  beds,  and  a  sofa  on  which  a  bed 
was  made  up  when  we  wanted  to  go  to  sleep.  But 
all  was  reasonably  clean,  and  the  landlady  was 
as  kind  as  she  possibly  could  be. 

The  key  to  our  room,  which  opened  into  the 
lower  hall,  and  very  near  the  front  door,  was 
lost.  But  what  mattered  that  in  a  country  where 
robbers  and  burglars  are  unknown  ?  Still,  fresh 

o 

as  we  were  from  countries  not  so  blessed,  we 
thought  we  should  feel  safer  with  the  door  locked. 
Besides,  servants  up  there  have  a  knack  of  bolt- 
ing into  your  room  at  all  times  and  at  all  hours 
without  knocking,  and  if  they  happen  to  find  you 
in  dishabille,  they  reason,  perhaps  correctly,  that 
from  necessity  everybody  must  be  in  that  condi- 
tion at  least  as  often  as  once  in  twenty-four 
hours,  and  what  matters  it  who  sees  them,  so 
long  as  the  fact  is  well  known  and  perfectly 
understood  by  everybody?  After  all  it  is  noth- 
ing to  be  ashamed  of,  anyway.  Then  what 
is  the  matter,  and  why  so  much  concealment, 
which  at  best  is  nothing  but  sheer  affectation. 
Now  we  had  nothing  to  answer  to  all  this  rea- 


122  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

soning,  which  was  not  said  but  only  acted,  except 
our  simple  fastidious  prejudices.  We  lacked  the 
innocent  simplicity  which  would  have  enabled  us 
to  consider  the  subject  in  its  true  light,  so  we 
had  a  search  instituted  for  the  key,  and  when  it 
could  not  be  found,  I  contrived  to  barricade  the 
door,  when  we  concluded  to  try  and  go  to  sleep, 
so  that  an  entrance  could  not  be  effected  without 
a  noise  at  least. 

Hammerfest  being  the  most  northern  town  in 
the  world,  has  for  that  reason  acquired  considera- 
ble celebrity.  The  reason  why  this  is  so  is  that 
it  is  the  warmest  portion  of  the  globe  in  so  high 
a  latitude.  It  is  hard  for  one  who  has  walked 
across  the  East  river  from  New  York  to  Brook- 
lyn on  the  ice,  to  believe  that  at  a  point  nearly 
thirty  degrees  farther  north,  and  more  than  four 
degrees  within  the  Arctic  Circle,  ice  never  forms 
within  tide  water,  except  quite  at  the  head  of 
some  of  the  fjords.  All  else  of  the  bays  and 
sounds,  and  wherever  the  waters  of  the  sea  reach, 
is  as  clear  of  ice  as  if  in  Florida,  even  through 
the  long  winter  night  of  eleven  weeks,  during 
which  the  sun  never  rises  above  the  horizon. 
Back  in  the  interior,  and  beyond  the  influence 
of  the  sea  atmosphere,  it  is  no  doubt  cold  enough 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  123 

to  please  an  Esquimau.  Heavy  snows  fall  at 
Hammerfest,  and  on  all  the  islands  along  the 
coast,  and  are  abundant  to  the  very  edge  of  the 
open  water,  and  there  they  lay  for  a  long  time, 
but  they  cannot  invade  the  waters  themselves. 
Hence  navigation  is  practicable  the  whole  year, 
and  the  steamers  on  which  we  traveled  make 
their  trips  to  Hammerfest  in  winter  as  well  as 
in  summer ;  and  the  steamers  from  Christiana 
to  Tromso,  on  which  we  also  traveled,  continue 
their  trips  throughout  the  winter,  never  seeing 
any  ice  in  the  North  Sea,  while  they  are  some- 
times embarrassed  with  ice  at  Christiana,  though 
few  places  on  the  globe  in  so  high  a  latitude 
have  so  mild  a  climate  as  the  latter  place.  Of 
course  wherever  this  warm  sea  reaches  it  must 
greatly  raise  the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere, 
and  so  ameliorate  the  climate  ;  and  finally  we  be- 
come surprised  that  its  influence  extends  only  so 
short  a  distance  inland.  To  this,  however,  we 
must  soon  become  reconciled,  when  we  remember 
the  severity  of  the  cold  in  other  longitudes  in  the 
same  latitude. 

Nor  is  Hammerfest  the  limit  of  the  open 
sea  in  the  coldest  winter  along  the  Norwegian 
coast.  It  extends  clear  around  the  North  Cape  • 


124  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

and  into  the  great  Arctic  Sea  beyoncL  The 
reason  of  this  has  been  obvious  ever  since  the 
gulf  stream  was  discovered  and  its  track  traced 
across  the  ocean.  Issuing  with  its  tropical  waters 
from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  with  a  current  of  four 
miles  an  hour  and  more,  forty  miles  wide  and 
four  hundred  feet  deep,  it  plows  its  way  through 
the  Atlantic  with  a  resistless  force  in  a  northeast 
direction,  widening  as  it  goes,  sweeping  by  the 
north  capes  of  Ireland  and  Scotland,  washing 
the  shores  of  the  Hebrides  ;  ever  spreading  out, 
where  not  prevented  by  the  land  it  meets,  it 
sweeps  across  the  North  Sea  and  impinges  upon 
all  the  northwest  coast  of  Norway,  by  which  it 
is  deflected  still  more  northerly,  and  finally  loses 
itself  in  the  Northern  Ocean,  beyond  the  North 
Cape.  Of  course  it  loses  much  of  its  tempera- 
ture before  it  reaches  Norway ;  but  the  wonder 
is  that  the  cold  currents,  setting  down  through 
Baffin's  Bay  and  the  Northern  Ocean,  east  of 
Greenland  and  Iceland,  have  not  entirely  de- 
stroyed its  identity  and  reduced  it  to  the  tem- 
perature of  their  own  cold  waters.  That  they 
have  not,  serves  to  tell  us  what  a  mighty  force 
is  ever  there  at  work,  and  yet  never  expends 
itself  or  grows  weaker  as  time  rolls  en. 


CHAPTER    X. 


HAMMERFEST;  ITS  COMMERCE  AND  OIL  FACTORIES;  COD-FISHING; 
THE  SEI;  THE  FISHERMEN;  RELIGION  AND  EDUCATION;  HOS- 
TILITY TO  CATHOLICS;  CONFIRMATION  AND  SUFFRAGE;  GEN- 
ERAL EDUCATION  ;  THE  LAPPS  ;  HISTORY  AND  LANGUAGE  ; 
NOMADIC  OR  MOUNTAIN  LAPPS;  SOCIAL  DISTINCTIONS;  FAMILY 
RELATIONS,  DRESS,  PHYSICAL  QUALITIES;  AN  INSANE  BRIDE- 
GROOM; DOMESTIC  VIRTUES;  LAPP  WOMEN;  USE  OF  TOBACCO; 
COAST  LAPPS;  RELIGIOUS  CHARACTER;  FANATICAL  CRUSADE; 
SUPERSTITIOUS  CHARMS. 

HAMMERFEST  is  a  town  of  about  two 
thousand  people,  and  is  situated  at  the 
head  of  a  large  land-locked  bay  and  is  sur- 
rounded by  high  mountains.  Immediately  be- 
hind it  the  face  of  the  mountain  is  nearly  ver- 
tical. For  a  third  of  a  mile  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  is  so  near  the  shores  of  the  bay  that 
there  is  only  room  for  a  single  street.  At  the 
north  end  of  that  a  valley  opens,  through  which 
a  considerable  creek  .comes  rushing  down.  This 
valley  widens  out  farther  back,  presenting  a  very 
pretty  country  beyond.  At  the  south  also  the 
shore  of  the  bay  sweeps  around  in  a  graceful 
curve,  leaving  a  broader  belt  between  it  and  the 

foot  of  the  mountain,  and   upon  that   the  princi- 

(125) 


126  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

pal  part  of  the  town  is  situated,  where  sufficient 
space  is  found  for  several  streets. 

On  the  water  are  good  wharves  and  docks 
and  storehouses,  and  on  the  streets  back  are  the 
shops  and  dwellings,  some  of  which  are  fine  and 
comfortable.  Its  commerce  is  very  considerable. 
There  were  seventeen  sea-going  vessels  in  port 
when  we  arrived.  Of  course  the  fisheries  are 
the  principal  source  of  this  commerce. 

The  place  is  most  distinguished  for  its  cod- 
liver  oil  manufactories,  which  are  very  numerous, 
and  do  a  large  business.  From  these  a  sickening 
odor  pervades  the  atmosphere,  which  is  very  of- 
fensive to  the  stranger  upon  his  first  arrival,  but 
after  a  few  days  he  becomes  accustomed  to  it, 
and  finally  ceases  to  notice  it.  We  visited  several 
of  the  factories  and  examined  the  process  of  mak- 
ing the  oil.  These  establishments  do  not  confine 
themselves  to  the  cod-liver  as  a  source  of  their 
product,  but  work  up  any  product  of  the  sea  which 
will  produce  oil,  including  a  variety  of  fish  and 
seals.  The  raw  material  is  first  put  into  large 
tanks,  where  it  stands  for  some  time  undisturbed. 
While  here,  a  portion  of  the  oil  separates  from  the 
tissues,  and  rises  to  the  top.  This  is  the  purest 
and  best,  and  is  carefully  removed  and  kept  by 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  127 

itself,  and  of  course  brings  the  highest  price  in 
the  market.  When  no  more  pure  and  limpid  oil 
will  rise  to  the  top,  the  residuum  is  removed  from 
the  tank  to  large  kettles  set  in  arches,  where  it  is 
thoroughly  tried,  and  then  the  remaining  oil  is 
expressed  from  it.  This  is  of  an  inferior  quality, 
and  goes  into  the  market  as  such.  It  is  from 
this  trying  process  that  the  odor  arises  that  is 
so  unpleasant  to  the  stranger.  It  is  stronger  and 
more  offensive  than  the  odors  arising  from  the 
stagnant  tanks.  The  residuum  from  these  trying 
houses,  as  well  as  the  heads  and  backbones  of 
the  fish  which  are  cleaned,  are  thoroughly  dried, 
and  sold  to  be  ground  up  for  manure.  In  clean- 
ing the  fish,  the  head  and  gills  and  backbone 
are  all  removed  together.  These  are  strung  to- 
gether on  twine,  and  then  hung  on  poles  and 
dried  as  thoroughly  as  possible,  when  they  are 
packed  in  bales  and  are  ready  for  export. 

During  February  and  March  the  codfish  are 
in  the  finest  condition,  and  are  most  abundant. 
At  that  time,  also,  they  take  the  hook  the  most 
freely;  hence,  this  is  considered  the  codfish  sea- 
son. Still  they  are  taken  at  other  seasons,  and 
are  very  excellent. 

During  the   time  we  were   there    the  sei  were 


128  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

the  most  abundant,  and  were  the  principal  object 
of  pursuit  They  are  nearly  as  large  and  much 
resemble  the  cod.  These  are  not  salted  at  all. 
They  are  cleaned,  and  split  quite  down  to  near 
the  tail,  and  are  then  hung  on  long  poles  sup- 
ported on  high  tressels,  close  along  the  beach,  or 
at  the  edge  of  the  water  at  high-tide,  where  they 
become  very  dry  —  indeed  so  dry  that  there 
seems  to  be  scarcely  more  than  skin  left.  They 
are  then  packed  in  bales  and  sent  to  market. 
These  are  principally  in  request  in  Sweden  and 
other  countries  bordering  on  the  Baltic ;  but  I 
have  seen  them  in  the  Chicago  market  since  my 
return.  These  I  learned  were  ordered  from  Ber- 
gen ;  as  also  the  Lofoden  cod,  which  are  also 
found  in  our  market. 

Although  there  are  more  independent  fisher- 
men in  Finmark,  proportionately,  than  in  the  Gulf 
of  St.  Lawrence,  still  a  large  proportion  are  in 
the  employ  of  capitalists,  who  furnish  them  boats 
and  tackle,  and  pay  them  fixed  wages,  or  so  much 
per  hundred  for  the  fish  caught.  Indeed,  it  is 
the  exception  where  the  fisherman  cures  and 
markets  his  own  fish.  In  this,  as  in  all  other 
business,  capital  divides  the  profits  with  labor. 

Of  course  fish  are  the  principal  article  of  diet, 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  129 

as  meats  are  in  our  agricultural  region.  In  the 
larger  towns  the  fish  markets  are  the  great  dis- 
play. I  was  much  interested  in  an  early  visit  to 
the  market  in  Trondhjem,  and  was  astonished  at 
the  variety  of  fish  there  exhibited.  Some  most 
repulsive-looking  specimens  were  taken  as  de- 
licious by  customers  who,  no  doubt,  knew  what 
they  liked. 

There  were  an  unusual  number  of  Lapps  in 
Hammerfest  while  we  were  there,  who  had  come 
in  from  the  mountains  for  confirmation.  The 
State  religion  is  Lutheran,  and  it  is  sustained 
by  law  with  some  rigor,  and  is  very  universally 
professed  among  the  people.  All  other  denomi- 
nations are  called  sects,  and  are  looked  upon  with 
disfavor,  and  the  Catholics  most  of  all.  The 
Catholics  evidently  have  a  hard  time  of  it  in 
Norway.  Although  the  law  does  not  prohibit 
that  or  any  other  form  of  Christian  worship,  yet 
the  prejudice  against  the  Catholics  is  very  great 
among  the  people,  who  are  loth  to  believe  any 
good  of  them.  There  is  a  Catholic  church  at 
Tromso,  and  one  of  the  public-houses  is  kept 
by  a  Catholic  lady.  Everybody  advised  us  not 
to  go  to  that  house,  as  we  should  surely  fare 
very  badly,  and  we  considered  ourselves  very 


130  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

fortunate  in  having  secured  rooms  at  the  other 
hotel  beforehand,  and  blessed  the  telegraph  which 
enabled  us  to  do  so.  Several  of  the  other  pas- 
sengers who  landed  from  the  same  boat  were 
obliged  to  go  to  the  Catholic  house,  though  they 
did  it  with  great  reluctance.  Among  them  was 
a  Presbyterian  clergyman  from  Massachusetts, 
with  his  family.  When  we  met  and  compared 
notes,  it  was  manifest  that  they  had  the  best  of 
it  altogether.  They  had  the  best  rooms,  the  best 
service,  the  best  beds,  and  decidedly  the  best 
table,  and  he  declared  there  was  no  sort  of  doubt 
that  the  universal  cry  against  that  house  origi- 
nated in  the  inveterate  prejudice  which  was  felt 
against  the  religion  of  the  lady  who  kept  it,  who 
was  really  modest,  unassuming,  attentive  and 
obliging,  and  spared  no  effort  which  could  con- 
tribute to  the  comfort  of  her  guests.  His  favor- 
able report  certainly  did  not  arise  from  a  con- 
cordance of  religious  sentiments.  Yet  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  people  who  advised  us  to  avoid 
that  house  really  believed  there  was  something 
terrible  about  it  which  would  render  us  very 
uncomfortable.  True  they  probably  knew  nothing 
about  it,  and  perhaps  not  one  of  them  had  ever 
been  in  it,  but  they  accepted  the  universal  defama- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  131 

tion  as  undoubted  truth,  and  so  gave  their  advice 
from  a  real  conviction. 

There  are  few  other  sects  in  Norway,  but  I 
did  not  chance  to  meet  with  any  of  their  followers, 
and  so  I  learned  but  little  of  them. 

Many  important  civil  rights  are  dependent  on 
confirmation,  as  I  was  informed,  and  especially 
the  right  of  suffrage ;  hence  it  is  a  matter  of  great 
importance  to  the  citizen  to  be  thus  received 
into  the  bosom  of  the  church.  The  claim  to  this 
rite  is  no  doubt  more  dependent  upon  the  educa- 
tion of  the  candidate  than  upon  the  fervor  of 
his  piety. 

The  law  prohibits  the  confirmation  of  any 
who  cannot  read  and  write,  and  who  have  not 
been  instructed  to  a  certain  extent  in  the  tenets 
of  the  Lutheran  church.  This  constitutes  a 
rigorous  system  of  universal  education,  not  only 
among  the  Norwegians,  but  among  the  Lapps 
as  well.  Hence  it  is  that  teachers  are  sent  to 
all  their  camps,  even  among  the  distant  mount- 
ains, to  impart  to  them  the  required  instruction 
to  qualify  them  for  the  important  ceremony;  and 
the  result  is,  as  I  was  credibly  informed,  that  all 
can  read  and  write,  and  very  many  have  a  very 
good  common  education.  When  I  asked  one  to 


132  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

give  me  his  name,  which  I  wished  to  enter  in 
my  note-book,  he  took  the  pencil  and  entered  it 
in  a  good,  bold  hand. 

To  me  at  least  the  Lapps  are  by  far  the  most 
interesting  race  of  people  in  Europe,  and  I  longed 
to  see  with  my  own  eyes  what  sort  of  people  they 
were ;  and  the  strongest  inducement  I  could  have 
had  to  spend  a  much  longer  time  in  Finmark 
was  the  study  of  this  interesting  people  in  their 
remote  mountain  homes,  where  I  might  hope  to 
see  a  nearer  approach  to  the  ancient  habits,  cus- 
toms, and  superstitions  than  is  possible  on  the 
sea-coast,  where  a  closer  contact  with  the  Gothic 
race  must  have  modernized  these  to  a  certain 
extent 

While  the  ancestors  of  the  Lapps  once  occupied 
all  northern  Europe  and  Asia  within  the  polar 
circle,  and  far  south  of  it,  even  to  the  latitude 
of  Berlin,  and  ethnologists  assure  us,  with  the 
greatest  confidence,  that  they  established  them- 
selves in  Hungary,  and  constituted  the  original 
stock  whence  sprung  the  present  Magyars ;  the 
Lapland  of  the  present  day  is  confined  between 
very  narrow  limits,  having  the  Arctic  Ocean  on 
the  north,  the  White  Sea  on  the  east,  an  irregular 
line  on  the  south,  the  latitude  of  the  gwlf  of  Fin- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  133 

land  being  its  most  southerly  point,  and  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  on  the  west.  This  Lapland  is 
divided  into  Norwegian  Lapland,  Swedish  Lap- 
land, and  Russian  Lapland,  according  to  the  juris- 
dictions in  which  the  different  parts  are  situate. 

The  great  antiquity  of  this  people  seems  to 
be  conceded  on  all  hands  ;  and  so  also  that  they 
are  descended  from  the  same  original  stock  as 
the  Finns.  Indeed  the  difference  between  them 
now  is  not  very  striking,  and  the  evidence  of 
relationship  is  abundant. 

When  this  ancient  people  first  occupied  that 
northern  country,  or  by  what  name  they  were 
formerly  designated,  or  whence  they  came,  no 
one  can  pretend  to  know.  Antiquaries  find 
evidence  that  they  were  preceded  by  a  race  who 
created  the  age  of  polished  stone,  and  that  they 
introduced  into  western  Europe  the  age  of 
bronze,  which  testifies  to  a  pretty  advanced  stage 
»of  civilization,  when  they  expelled  their  prede- 
cessors of  the  stone  age;  or  possibly  they  may 
themselves  have  been  of  the  stone  age,  and  so 
advanced  in  civilization  as  to  attain  the  art  which 
characterizes  the  bronze  age. 

Authors  disagree,  as  we  might  well  expect 
where  the  evidence  is  so  slight  and  uncertain,  as 


134  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

to  the  extent  of  the  territory  which  they  origi- 
nally occupied,  some  confining  them  to  the  Volga 
and  the  Dnieper  on  the  south,  excepting  where 
the  break  extended  them  into  Hungary ;  while 
others  give  them  all  north  of  the  Danube,  and 
assign  to  them  the  whole  of  Germany  and  France. 
Ethnologists  have  invented  for  this  ancient  people 
a  name,  which  of  course  is  a  new  name,  of  which 
the  ancients  never  heard ;  but  as  they  must  have 
a  name  for  the  purpose  of  designation,  no  doubt 
the  selection  has  been  made  for  good  reasons. 
They  call  them  Ugrians.  This  embraces  many 
families,  some  of  which  reach  nearly  to  Behring's 
Strait  on  the  east,  and  probably  they  might, 
without  great  effort,  bring  our  Esquimaux  into 
the  same  great  division  of  the  human  family.  By 
what  name  they  should  be  called,  or  whether 
they  preceded  the  age  of  bronze  or  not,  I  do  not 
now  propose  to  discuss;  but  I  have  said  this 
much  merely  to  show  that  it  is  conceded  on  all 
hands  that  they  are  by  far  the  oldest  people  of 
Europe.  They  alone  have  been  able  to  outlive 
the  heavy  tread  of  the  hardy  hoards  which  swept 
from  northern  Europe  all  the  others  of  the 
ancient  peoples ;  and  finally,  after  how  many 
centuries  we  know  not,  crossed  the  ^  Alps,  and 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  135 

spread  terror  through  the  higher  but  degenerate 
civilization  of  Rome. 

We  most  readily  accept  the  conclusion  that  the 
Lapps  and  Finns  are  descended  from  the  same 
stock.  In  many  respects  they  strongly  resemble 
each  other,  though  the  latter  may  be  more  ad- 
vanced in  agriculture  and  many  of  the  arts  of 
civilization.  Finmark  —  or  the  march  or  territory, 
as  it  seems  here  to  mean,  of  the  Fins  —  shows 
that  Fin  was  a  common  name,  and  embraced 
the  Lapps  as  well.  This  relationship  between  the 
Lapps  and  Finns  is  recognized  in  another  way. 
The  Lapps  differ  from  all  other  aboriginal  peoples 
in  the  fact  that  they  refuse  to  intermarry  with 
other  stocks  of  the  race,  but  through  all  the  cen- 
turies in  which  they  have  been  in  close  contact 
with  the  Gothic  races,  they  have  kept  the  blood 
pure  and  uncontaminated.  This  could  hardly  be 
done  as  a  mere  matter  of  principle  or  pride,  and 
could  only  result  from  inclination.  But  this  aver- 
sion to  other  peoples  does  not  extend  to  the 
Finns,  for  with  these  they  freely  intermarry,  and 
think  it  no  degradation. 

The  language  of  the  Lapps  is  very  distinct,  and 
but  few  Norwegians  understand  it.  It  differs 
even  from  that  of  the  Finns,  but  philologists  have 


136  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

no  difficulty  in  tracing  their  similitudes,  and  give 
them  a  common  origin. 

In  quite  recent  times,  the  Lapp  language  has 
become  a  written  language,  with  its  own  alpha- 
bet and  grammar,  the  two  most  approved  of 
which  are  by  Stockfleth  and  Rask.  Their  alpha- 
bet is  formed  upon  the  phonetic  principle,  each 
letter  representing  a  simple  sound,  which  enables 
the  beginner  to  learn  to  read  much  more  readily 
than  with  our  own  barbarous  and  unphilosophical 
orthography. 

Since  the  boon  of  a  written  language  and 
printed  books  has  been  conferred  upon  the  Lapps 
there  has  been  a  commendable  progress  in  their 
education,  and  this  is  much  stimulated  by  the 
governmental  system,  which  makes  the  right  of 
suffrage  and  other  important  civil  rights  depend- 
ent upon  a  certain  amount  of  education.  This 
the  government  places  within  their  reach  by 
sending  the  schoolmaster  among  them,  who  visits 
their  towns  and  settlements  far  back  in  the 
mountains. 

The  mountain  Lapp  is  still  a  nomad,  partly 
from  habit  and  choice,  and  partly  from  necessity. 
His  herds  consist  of  the  reindeer,  and  they  are, 
to  an  extent,  migratory,  as  will  be  hereafter 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  137 

noticed,  when  we  come  to  treat  of  that  animal ; 
and  so  he  must  from  necessity  follow  his  wealth 
in  its  migrations  from  the  mountains  to  the  coast 
and  back, 

If  Lapp  be  a  proper  designation,  it  is  a  mod- 
ern one.  Their  own  native  name  is  Sabme,  and, 
as  before  intimated,  they  were  formerly  called 
Finns  by  the  Norwegians;  hence  Finmark  for  the 
country  which  they  occupy.  Lap  is  properly  a 
Swedish  term,  and  so  is  Swedish  Lapland  called 
Lapmark.  As  here  used,  the  word  mark,  or 
march,  seems  to  mean  something  more  than  the 
borders  of  a  country,  as  in  England  and  Scot- 
land ;  but  it  embraces  the  country  itself  occupied 
by  a  distinct  people,  although  it  occupies  the  ex- 
tremity or  border  of  the  kingdom. 

They  have  no  tribal  organizations,  and  affect 
no  independent  form  of  government,  like  our 
Indians.  The  patriarchal  influence  is  quite  pro- 
nounced. While  individuals  do  not  acquire  titles 
to  the  land  they  occupy,  in  general  they  confine 
their  range  within  certain  limits  more  or  less 
broad,  and  their  preferred  right  to  their  camping 
grounds  is  respected,  while  they  are  not  jealous 
of  those  who  wander  into  the  territories  thus 
occupied. 


138  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

There  are  distinctions  of  rank  among  them, 
arising  largely  from  considerations  of  wealth. 
Their  wealth  consists  almost  exclusively  of  rein- 
deer, which  are  bought  and  sold,  inherited  and 
given  as  marriage  portions.  Some  of  the  most 
wealthy  have  many  thousand  reindeer,  and  have 
hired  servants  to  tend  them.  But  their  aristocracy 
is  of  the  primitive  kind,  and  does  not  depart  from 
the  simple  habits  and  mode  of  life  of  their 
ancestors. 

The  rich  man  lives  in  the  same  smoky  and 
filthy  hut  as  the  poor,  only  it  is  larger,  because 
it  must  be  so  to  accommodate  his  larger  family ; 
for  his  servants  or  herders  are  strictly  members 
of  his  family,  and  live  on  an  apparent  equality 
with  himself.  The  great  kettle  is  hung  over  the 
fire  in  the  middle  of  the  hut  and  filled  with  the 
flesh  of  the  reindeer,  and,  when  it  is  boiled,  all 
go  up  and  help  themselves  alike,  with  fingers  or 
sticks,  or  with  forks  and  spoons  made  of  the  bones 
or  antlers  of  the  deer,  or  their  sheath  knives, 
which  always  hang  at  the  hip  of  young  and  old. 
All  sleep  together  in  the  hut  on  the  pallets  of 
deer-skins  wherever  they  can  find  room. 

The  most  wealthy,  as  well  as  the  poorest,  dress 
in  the  deer-skin  trousers  and  coat  which  comes 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  139 

nearly  to  the  knees  and  are  girded  by  a  broad 
belt  about  the  waist.  These  skins  are  tanned  and 
made  into  garments  in  each  household.  All  that 
I.  saw  were  tanned  with  the  hair  on,  and  were 
made  up  with  the  hair  inside.  I  saw  some  little 
chaps — I  know  not  whether  girls  or  boys  —  not 
more  than  two  or  three  years  old,  toddling  about 
the  streets  in  full  deer-skin  suits.  Their  shoes 
are  a  kind  of  moccasin,  made  from  the  skin  taken 
from  the  legs  of  the  deer  where  the  hair  is  short 
and  firm,  and  much  more  durable  than  from  other 
parts  of  the  deer.  They  are  constructed  with 
the  hair  outward.  They  come  up  around  the 
ankles,  have  a  seam  under  the  hollow  of  the  foot, 
forward  of  which  the  hairs  have  a  backward  set, 
and  behind  which  the  hairs  have  a  forward  set, 
which  prevents  slipping.  They  differ  from  the 
Indian  moccasin  in  having  a  regular  sole,  which, 
however,  is  but  one  thickness  of  skin.  They  are 
often  ornamented  with  red  and  tinsel.  These 
are  made  largely  for  sale,  of  various  qualities 
and  prices.  The  little  store  at  Bosekop,  where 
I  got  a  pair,  had  many  bushels  of  them.  An 
ornamented  pair  costs  a  dollar.  The  Lapps  wear 
them  considerably  larger  than  the  feet,  so  they 
can  wrap  the  feet  in  a  good  coating  of  dried 


140  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

grass,  which  is  placed  in  most  of  them.  Nearly 
all  the  Lapps  wear  caps  of  a  uniform  style,  mostly 
made  of  cloth,  so  far  as  I  saw,  but  some  of  skins. 
They  consist  of  a  heavy,  broad  band  around  the 
forehead,  surmounted  with  a  large  square  crown 
with  sharp  points  or  angles,  to  some  of  which 
small  tassels  were  attached.  They  varied  much 
in  quality  and  ornamentation. 

The  Lapps  are  a  race  of  small,  hardy  men  and 
women.  They  are  stocky  or  stout  in  proportion 
to  their  height,  which  is  several  inches  below  the 
standard  of  the  Norwegians  among  whom  they 
live.  They  have,  in  general,  broad  faces,  short 
chins,  and  high  cheek  bones,  dark  complexions, 
brown  hair,  some  light  and  some  dark  eyes,  but 
I  do  not  remember  that  I  saw  one  with  black 
eyes.  They  look  more  like  a  smoked  white  man 
than  like  men  naturally  tawny,  and  I  am  not  sure 
but  they  owe  their  dark  complexions  to  smoke 
and  mountain  soil. 

Some  of  them  have  a  wonderfully  pleasing  and 
winning  expression  of  countenance.  The  first 
Lapp  we  saw  was  on  the  steamer  after  we  left 
Trondhjem,  and  I  thought  I  never  saw  a  more 
agreeable  expression  on  a  human  face.  Perhaps 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  141 

this  was  heightened  by  the  circumstances  of  his 
position. 

He  was  a  wealthy  young  man,  perhaps  twenty- 
four  years  old.  Three  months  before,  he  was 
married  to  a  young  lady  Lapp,  to  whom  he  was 
devotedly  attached,  of  a  wealthy  neighboring 
family.  The  wedding  was  a  great  occasion,  and 
there  were  high  festivities  in  their  mountain  home, 
though  there  were  no  newspaper  reporters  there 
to  describe  the  table,  the  presents,  the  dresses  of 
the  ladies  or  the  costume  of  the  bride,  or  in  any 
other  way  to  honor  or  to  annoy  them ;  had  there 
been,  we  might  explain  what  followed.  The  fes- 
tivities went  on  without  interruption  or  mishap, 
till  suddenly  the  bridegroom  was  found  to  be  a 
raving  maniac  of  the  violent  type.  Rejoicing,  of 
course,  was  turned  to  grief.  There  was  nothing 
to  be  done  but  to  bind  him  and  take  him  from 
his  weeping  bride  and  place  him  in  an  insane 
asylum,  probably  at  Ganstad,  where,  I  understand, 
is  the  only  one  in  Norway.  When  we  met  him 
on  the  steamer,  he  had  just  been  discharged  cured, 
and  was  hastening  home  to  enjoy  the  bliss  of 
wedded  life. 

Of  course  his  story  was  soon  told  among  the 
passengers,  and  he  became  an  object  of  general 


142  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

solicitude  and  sympathy.  All  agreed  that  he 
looked  happier  each  hour  as  it  brought  him 
nearer  his  home  and  those  he  loved,  who  were 
as  anxiously  waiting  his  coming.  When  he  left 
us  at  Tromso,  and  procured  a  boat  to  take  him 
on  his  way,  it  is  not  probable  that  he  stopped 
to  fish  or  play,  but  more  likely  that  he  pulled 
the  oar,  as  a  lusty  young  man  about  to  commence 
his  honeymoon  should  do.  For  four  days  he  had 
been  our  fellow-passenger  and  the  object  of  our 
sympathy,  and  it  is  not  strange  then  that  we 
watched  him  anxiously  so  long  as  his  form  was 
visible,  and  followed  him  in  imagination  to  the 
Lapp  encampment  among  the  far-off  mountains, 
and  pictured  to  ourselves  the  joy  of  father  and 
mother,  and,  above  all,  of  the  bride  from  whom 
he  had  been  torn  in  the  very  hour  of  their 
nuptials. 

Lapps  can  love  as  well  as  others,  and  perhaps 
better  too,  and  certainly  more  faithfully,  for  con- 
jugal infidelity  is  hardly  ever  known,  and  the 
standard  of  virtue  is  so  far  above  that  of  any 
other  people  of  whom  I  have  any  account,  that 
no  comparison  can  be  instituted  without  doing 
them  injustice.  Such  fidelity  must  surely  be 
rewarded  with  domestic  happiness  of  the  highest 


PERPETUAL  DA  Y.  143 

order,  and  we  may  well  picture  to  ourselves  the 
joys  of  love  in  a  camp  as  well  as  in  a  cottage 
or  a  mansion. 

I  saw  similar  pleasing  expressions  of  counte- 
nance on  many  others,  though  on  none  other  to  so 
great  an  extent,  and  some  were  quite  the  reverse, 
though  I  saw  none  who  looked  wicked,  vicious  and 
repulsive. 

The  women  are  generally  very  plain,  and  I  saw 
none  which  might  be  called  handsome.  You  may 
endure  a  man  if  he  is  not  the  pink  of  neatness, 
or  even  cleanliness,  but  a  dirty  woman  —  well, 
it  is  rarely  indeed  that  you  can  say  she  is  charm- 
ing, and  so  I  saw  no  charming  lady  Lapps. 

The  Norwegians,  as  well  as  the  Lapps,  use 
tobacco  very  freely ;  indeed  they  are  absolutely 
prodigal  of  it.  Both  chew  it  most  extravagantly, 
and  smoke  it  as  well.  I  have  met  with  no  other 
people  that  I  thought  could  beat  my  own  coun- 
trymen as  chewers  of  tobacco,  or  even  equal 
them.  The  Lapp  and  his  pipe  seem  as  insepara- 
ble as  the  Arab  and  his  horse ;  and  the  Nor- 
wegian, too,  is  scarcely  behind  the  Lapp  in  the 
love  of  his  pipe.  Among  them  I  saw  none  use 
snuff.  Perhaps  the  ladies  of  Lapland  do  so  on 
the  sly,  as  it  is  said  they  sometimes  do  in  other 


144  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

countries,  but  I  do  not  believe  they  do,  for  I 
doubt  not  they  would  be  quite  indifferent  as  to 
who  saw  them,  if  they  desired  thus  to  indulge  in 
the  use  of  the  soothing  herb.  I  have  met  some 
Norwegians  who  never  use  tobacco,  but  they  are 
fewer  than  in  this  country. 

But  all  the  Lapps  do  not  live  in  the  mountains 
and  eat  reindeer  flesh.  Those  who  have  lost  their 
reindeer  by  some  mischance,  or  who  never  had 
any,  are  forced  to  come  down  to  the  coast  and 
become  fishermen  for  a  living.  And  this  in  the 
course  of  time  has  established  two  classes  —  the 
mountain  Lapps  and  the  maritime  Lapps.  The 
former  are  generally  well  off  and  often  wealthy ; 
the  latter  are  always  poor.  These  become  as 
expert  boatmen  and  as  expert  fishermen  as  the 
Norwegians,  but  I  heard  of  no  instance  where 

o 

one,  by  the  force  of  superior  talent  or  business 
capacity,  had  risen  above  his  fellows  and  become 
wealthy  by  employing  and  directing  the  services 
of  others ;  they  seem  incapable  of  rising  to  a 
higher  level  when  driven  to  the  pursuits  of  other 
races. 

It  does  not,  however,  follow  that  there  are  not 
degrees  of  capacity  among  the  Lapps,  as  among 
other  races  of  men,  but  rather  we  should  conclude 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  145 

that  those  whose  talents  would  raise  them  to 
wealth  and  distinction  among  the  maritime  Lapps 
have  the  capacity  to  acquire  wealth  and  distinc- 
tion among  the  mountains,  and  prefer  the  mount- 
ain life,  and  acquire  reindeer  rather  than  the  kind 
of  wealth  which  others  more  highly  prize.  Like 
our  own  aborigines,  they  prefer  the  wild  life  of 
the  forest  and  the  mountain,  and  their  deep  shades 
and  crags  and  glens,  rather  than  that  artificial  life 
of  a  higher  civilization. 

To  a  certain  extent  they  may  be  considered  a 
religious  people,  like  the  civilized  African  in  this 
country,  and  like  him  they  sometimes  develop 
this  sentiment  in  a  frenzied  zeal  which  amounts 
to  a  mania. 

In  1854  some  of  their  religious  teachers  found 
some  passage  in  the  Scriptures  which  they  con- 
strued to  enjoin  as  a  religious  duty  the  killing 
of  a  thousand  or  some  other  large  number  of 
men,  which  alone  could  insure  eternal  salvation. 
It  did  not  much  matter  who  the  victims  were, 
so  as  they  should  be  sure  and  kill  enough.  Under 
the  influence  of  this  religious  frenzy  they  preached 
a  crusade,  and  of  course  found  followers,  first 
from  zeal  and  conviction,  and  then  from  fear  and 
compulsion,  till  they  collected  a  great  body  of 


146  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

men,  women  and  children,  and  rushed  to  the 
coast  like  an  avalanche.  They  first  fell  upon 
Bosekop,  where  they  killed  several,  and  among 
others  a  prominent  merchant  and  a  woman  named 
Ruth  Kantima.  Long  before  they  had  sacrificed 
the  requisite  number  they  were  arrested  in  their 
mad  career,  the  ringleaders  apprehended,  and  the 
multitude  were  driven  back  to  the  mountains. 
Some  twenty  or  thirty  were  tried  for  their  offenses 
and  convicted,  three  were  decapitated,  and  the 
rest  suffered  imprisonment  for  various  terms.  My 
informant,  a  Norwegian  of  intelligence  and  cult- 
ure, himself  witnessed  the  capital  executions. 

While  this  shows  a  high  susceptibility  among 
the  Lapps  to  religious  impressions,  it  also  shows 
a  want  of  balance,  examples  of  which  may  be 
found  among  all  peoples  and  in  every  age,  though 
much  less  frequent  now  than  in  former  times, 
with  the  advancement  of  thought  and  knowledge 
and  civilization,  we  may  hope  that  these  erratic 
outbreaks  will  continue  to  be  less  frequent. 

Even  yet  the  Norwegian  peasantry,  as  well  as 
the  Lapps,  are  prone  to  superstitions,  and  have 
implicit  faith  in  charms  and  amulets.  These  are 
nearly  all  derived  from  wild  animals  of  the  coun- 
try. A  drink  of  the  warm  blood,  or  a  dose  of 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  147 

pulverized  bones,  or  of  the  antlers  of  the  deer, 
strings  of  the  claws  or  teeth  of  certain  animals 
worn  around  the  neck,  are  believed  to  be  wonder- 
ful remedial  agencies  for  certain  diseases,  or  to 
have  most  potent  effects  to  ward  off  diseases  or 
dangers,  and  we  may  understand  that  a  poultice 
of  the  finely-chopped  flesh  of  animals  may  in 
many  cases  be  a  very  good  application,  without 
attributing  to  it  any  supernatural  virtues.  A 
string  of  the  claws  of  the  glutton  is  believed  to 
be  an  effectual  remedy  for  vertigo  or  flightiness, 
and  the  oil  of  the  same  animal  is  used  effectually 
for  the  cure  of  cutaneous  diseases.  To  drink  the 
warm  blood  of  certain  animals  is  supposed  to 
give  strength  and  courage. 


CHAPTER    XI. 


FIRST  SIGHT  OF  REINDEER;  GARDEN  HOUSETOPS,  THEIR  CONSTRUC- 
TION;    BUILDINGS     IN    HAMMERFEST   AND    OTHER     TOWNS;    FUEL; 

WINTERING  OF  CATTLE  AND  HORSES;  COWS;  DAIRY  FARMS;  FOOD 
FOR  STOCK;  SHEEP,  GOATS,  HOGS,  FOWLS,  AND  LAPLAND  DOGS; 
MAILS  AND  TELEGRAPHS;  COUR'TESY  OF  PEOPLE  AND  OFFICIALS; 
TEMPERATURE  AND  LIGHT  IN  WINTER;  WINTER  AMUSEMENTS; 
LOVE  OF  HOME  AND  COUNTRY;  FISHING  AT  MIDNIGHT;  THE 
MIDNIGHT  SUN  AGAIN. 

r  I  ^HE  morning  after  our  arrival  in  Hammerfest 
JL  I  commenced  an  exploration  of  the  town 
and  its  environs.  I  first  walked  the  street  to  the 
west,  and  crossed  the  bridge  which  spans  the 
raging  little  stream  which  there  debouches  into 
the  bay,  and  so  around  the  shore  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountain  which  bounds  the  bay  on  the  west. 
High  up  the  mountain  side  several  moving 
objects  attracted  my  attention.  I  scrutinized 
them  through  my  glass,  and  then  saw  my  first 
reindeer.  They  were  too  far  away  to  satisfy  my 
curiosity,  and  so  I  returned  and  walked  up  the 
valley.  The  road  led  me  across  a  bank  of  snow 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width.  Far  up  the  mount- 
ain side  I  saw  another  small  herd  of  deer,  which 


150  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

seemed  to  be  making  their  way  down,  and  I 
watched  them  through  the  glass  for  half  an  hour. 
Some  were  white  and  some  brown,  but  scarcely 
any  two  of  the  same  shade  of  color.  Their  ant- 
lers were  in  the  velvet,  and  seemed  to  be  half 
grown.  The  antlers  of  the  does  seemed  to  have 
made  relatively  about  the  same  advance  as  the 
bucks,  but  were  scarcely  more  than  one  fourth 
the  size.  When  they  got  within  three  hundred 
yards  they  took  alarm,  probably  from  winding 
me,  and  dashed  away  into  the  valley  below,  and 
next  appeared  half  a  mile  distant.  I  confessed  a 
surprise  that  domesticated  animals,  the  probable 
descendants  of  those  who  had  been  in  domesti- 
cation for  many  centuries,  should  be  so  wild, 
while  they  are  herded  and  yarded,  and  driven 
from  place  to  place,  like  sheep,  in  my  own 
country.  Subsequent  observations  and  informa- 
tion explained  this  phenomenon. 

The  domesticated  reindeer  retain  the  discrim- 
inating sense  of  smell,  scarcely  impaired,  from  the 
wild  state.  Like  all  the  others  of  the  deer  family, 
their  powers  of  vision  are  obtuse  and  uncertain, 
while  this  is  compensated  in  a  remarkable  degree 
by  the  sense  of  smell.  The  odor  from  the  Lapp 
is  peculiar,  and  differs  widely  from  another  race, 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  151 

and  so  does  the  odor  of  one  individual  differ  from 
that  of  another.  They  become  familiar  with  that 
of  the  herder  and  all  those  with  whom  they  come 
in  constant  contact,  and  so  take  no  notice  of  them, 
while  that  of  a  stranger  alarms  them,  and  they 
make  off  almost  with  the  timidity  of  the  wild 
deer. 

We  have  observed  that  the  fishermen's  huts, 
and  even  buildings  of  considerable  pretensions, 
are  covered  with  earth,  on  which  was  growing  a 
good  coat  of  vegetation.  The  roofs  are  first 
covered  with  strips  or  sheets  of  bark  from  the 
white  birch.  This  bark  is  an  article  of  commerce. 
It  is  gathered  in  the  back  country,  and  packed 
down  to  the  coast  in  bales  or  bundles  of  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  each,  as  I  should 
judge  from  those  I  saw  at  the  landings.  It 
appears  to  be  precisely  the  same  as  that  used  by 
our  Indians  in  the  construction  of  their  bark 
canoes,  and  I  am  surprised  it  has  not  been  used 
in  Lapland  for  the  same  purpose. 

After  the  roof  has  been  well  covered  with  this 
bark,  it  is  then  covered  with  about  eight  inches 
of  earth,  supported  at  the  eves  by  a  flange  or 
upright  board  of  the  proper  width.  On  this  the 
vegetation  grows.  I  was  surprised  that  this  did 


152  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

not  die  out  with  the  drouth,  in  an  atmosphere 
where  fish  without  salt  will  in  six  weeks'  time 
dry  to  a  mere  scrap,  and  become  almost  as  hard 
as  horn,  and  where  the  meat  will  be  scarcely 
thicker  than  the  skin.  During  all  this  time  there 
are  frequent  showers,  but  they  are  usually  of  short 
duration,  and  do  not  saturate  the  drying  fish ; 
but  the  moisture  left  on  the  surface  is  soon 
dispelled  by  the  sun,  in  that  cool  and  pure  atmos- 
phere, leaving  no  taint  or  even  stain  behind. 
These  showers  moisten  the  earth  on  the  house- 
tops, and  keep  the  vegetation  in  vigorous  life. 

On  one  of  the  houses  in  Hammerfest,  on  the 
main  street  of  the  town,  an  exceedingly  small 
white  kid  had  taken  up  his  abode,  and  was  always 
seen  whenever  we  passed  the  house,  sometimes 
cropping  the  grass  and  weeds,  sometimes  gambol- 
ing and  frisking  about  in  the  happiest  imaginable 
mood,  as  if  he  had  no  fears  of  falling  to  the 
ground,  and  sometimes  sleeping  in  the  bright 
sunshine. 

All  along  the  coast,  in  the  little  hamlets,  and 
in  the  larger  towns,  the  buildings  are  of  wood, 
built  not  of  boards  and  joists,  but  like  a  block 
house.  Poles  or  small  logs  are  hewn  down  to 
a  thickness  of  four  or  six  inches.  The  edges 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  153 

are  then  flattened,  and  all  brought  to  a  width, 
and  with  these  the  walls  of  the  house  are  built 
up,  the  corners  being  dovetailed  together.  The 
partitions  are  often  of  the  same  material.  Some- 
times these  sticks  are  dressed  with  a  plane  with 
great  nicety,  and  at  others  are  rough  hewn, 
depending  on  the  pretensions  of  the  structure. 
In  all  cases  the  seams  between  the  logs  are 
calked  with  moss.  The  finest  finished  wooden 
houses  in  the  towns  all  have  their  walls  built  up 
in  this  way,  though  they  are  covered  inside  and 
out  with  a  finish,  so  as  to  entirely  hide  the  walls 
proper.  No  plan  can  be  conceived  to  make  a 
warmer  house  than  this,  which  explains  the  reason 
of  its  adoption  in  so  cold  a  country  as  Norway. 
These  houses  are  nearly  always  painted.  Among 
the  peasantry  and  fishermen  red  is  the  prevailing 
color,  though  I  saw  some  of  yellow.  In  the 
towns  and  cities  both  white  and  red  are  ob- 
served. 

The  fuel  for  domestic  use  is  wood,  white  birch 
or  fir,  which  has  to  be  brought  down  from  the 
mountains  in  the  interior  in  the  high  latitudes, 
and  so  is  rather  expensive ;  but  they  economize 
it  much  by  making  their  dwellings  as  warm  as 
possible. 


154  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

Even  at  this  extremely  northern  point  horses 
and  cattle  are  kept,  but  both  are  very  small  and 
appear  to  be  very  hardy,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
are  so.  I  should  have  said  ponies  rather  than 
horses.  I  saw  none  under  the  saddle,  though  I 
understood  they  are  frequently  ridden.  A  num- 
ber were  at  work  in  little  rickety  carts,  hauling 
stone,  earth  and  goods  about  the  town.  They 
were  rough-looking  brutes,  and  appeared  as  if 
they  could  live  on  pine  shavings. 

The  cows  are  more  peculiar,  and  I  may  say 
deformed,  in  their  structure  than  the  ponies.  I 
met  a  herd  of  eleven  one  day  coming  in  from 
the  mountains,  and  they  afforded  me  a  fine  study. 
Six  of  the  lot  were  pollards,  or  entirely  destitute 
of  horns.  They  were  very  small  with  large  necks, 
and  legs  so  short  that  their  bellies  came  nearly 
to  the  ground,  and  were  of  various  colors.  Udders 
of  good  size  in  proportion  to  their  bodies.  They 
seemed  to  be  very  gentle.  I  heard  of  several 
dairy  farmers  within  the  Arctic  Circle,  but  they 
live  at  the  heads  of  the  fjords  and  in  the  lower 
valleys,  and  drive  their  cattle  back  into  the 
mountains  in  summer,  where  they  have  regular 
dairy  establishments.  In  winter  they  all  move 
down  to  the  coast.  It  was  a  mystery  to  me  how 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  155 

they  could  get  fodder  for  their  stock  through 
these  long  cold  winters.  I  learned  that  it  is 
an  object  of  solicitude  with  the  dairyman.  He 
secures  all  the  hay  he  can  on  the  little  patches 
where  it  grows,  but  his  principal  resource  is  the 
reindeer  moss.  This  is  short,  of  a  dull  white 
color,  and  crispy,  with  very  short  roots,  and  is 
very  nutritious.  It  covers  all  the  mountains  with 
a  very  dense  coat.  This  moss  the  farmers  rake 
up  by  the  roots  into  bunches,  when  it  is  allowed 
to  stand  and  cure  for  a  time,  then  it  is  carefully 
housed  and  reserved  for  winter  fodder,  for  which 
it  serves  an  excellent  purpose.  The  amount  of 
cattle  food  furnished  by  this  moss  in  Norway  is 
absolutely  unlimited,  when  we  consider  its  nutri- 
tive qualities.  While  it  is  not  universal  on  the 
mountains  it  is  very  prevalent,  and  the  burthen 
is  very  large.  In  crossing  the  Dover-fjeld  I  saw 
it  in  abundance. 

An  important  auxiliary  is  found  in  the  sea- 
weed, which  the  absence  of  ice  enables  the  dairy- 
man to  rake  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  bays  in 
the  winter  season.  As  this  is  likely  to  freeze 
so  soon  as  it  is  exposed  to  the  atmosphere,  it  is 
cooked  before  it  is  fed  to  the  stock,  which  process, 
no  doubt,  improves  its  digestible  qualities  also. 


156  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

This  reminded  me  that  I  had  often  seen  cattle 
wade  out  into  the  shallow  waters  of  the  St.  John's 
river  in  Florida,  and  submerge  their  heads 
entirely,  and  then  raise  them  with  mouths  full  of 
seaweed  or  grass  brought  up  from  the  bottom. 

Browse,  also,  is  made  available  for  winter  food 
for  cattle ;  but  it  is  not  in  extensive  supply. 
As  a  last  extremity,  herring,  which  are  caught  in 
very  large  quantities  in  all  these  waters,  is  used 
as  food  for  cattle,  and  while  they  do  not  take 
to  it  kindly  at  first,  they  do  eat  it,  and  without 
injury  so  far  as  I  could  learn.  The  herrings  are 
piled  in  stacks,  where  they  freeze  into  solid  masses, 
and  when  wanted  for  use  portions  are  chopped 
off  with  an  ax,  and  are  cooked,  and  mixed  with 
the  sea-grass,  when  it  is  treated  in  the  same  way, 
so  that  the  animal  is  mixed  with  the  vegetable 
food  when  fed  to  the  stock. 

Within  the  Arctic  Circle  I  saw  many  flocks  of 
sheep.  They  are  of  an  inferior  quality,  have 
coarse  wool,  with  a  very  large  proportion  of 
black  among  them.  With  wild  animals  the  most 
northern  of  a  given  species  furnish  the  finest  fur, 
and  generally,  though  not  always,  white  prevails 
more  in  the  North  than  in  the  South,  while  in 
both  these  respects  the  reverse  seems  to  be  the 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  157 

case  with  the  sheep.  We  have  always  been  taught 
to  look  for  the  finest  wool  in  Spain,  where  the 
sheep  are  nearly  all  white.  I  compared  a  flock 
in  Tromso  and  found  one  third  to  be  black,  and 
many  of  them  intensely  black. 

Goats  are  frequent  in  northern  Norway,  but 
cannot  be  said  to  be  abundant.  As  might  be 
expected,  they  are  of  inferior  size,  but  their 
ability  to  live  on  almost  any  vegetable,  we  sup- 
pose recommends  them  to  favor. 

Swine  are  kept  everywhere  there,  but  not  ex- 
tensively. They  are  raised  rather  as  a  family  in- 
stitution than  for  profit.  Their  fondness  for  fish 
should  insure  them  an  abundance  of  palatable 
food,  but  it  is  probably  not  the  kind  best  adapted 
for  fattening  purposes. 

Common  chickens  -I  observed  about  the  barns 
and  yards  not  half  the  size  of  ours,  but  they 
were  well-flavored  and  very  acceptable  after  hav- 
ing feasted  on  fish  till  you  think  you  will  never 
want  to  see  another  brought  upon  the  table.  I 
was  disappointed  to  find  so  few  domestic  ducks 
and  geese  where  their  favorite  element  almost 

o 

washes  every  door-step ;  probably  they  do  not 
like  the  long  cold  winters. 

Cats    and    dogs    are    found    wherever    human 


158  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

beings  are,  and  of  course  are  represented  in 
Norway  as  in  all  other  places. 

Among  the  Lapps  they  have  a  valuable  breed 
of  dogs,  corresponding  to  the  shepherd's  dog  in 
countries  where  sheep  are  extensively  kept.  These 
dogs  are  carefully  trained  to  their  work,  and  are  of 
the  greatest  service  in  herding  and  driving  the 
reindeer.  As  they  are  all  brought  up  together  the 
deer  know  them,  and  learn  to  submit  to  them  in  a 
very  exemplary  way.  It  is  said  that  one  of  these 
dogs  is  worth  more  than  several  men  in  the  man- 
agement of  a  herd  of  deer.  They  even  learn  to 
know  each  individual  deer  in  a  large  drove,  and 
will  readily  distinguish  a  stranger  which  may  join 
the  herd.  These  dogs  are  not  fed  sumptuously, 
but  quite  the  reverse,  although  their  valuable  ser- 
vices and  great  fidelity  should  entitle  them  to  a 
good  living.  I  could  learn  of  no  case  where  dogs 
are  worked  in  harness,  as  is  the  case  with  our 
Esquimaux. 

The  post  and  telegraph  are  established  along 
the  Norwegian  coast  to  Vardo  and  Vadso,  which 
may  be  considered  the  confines  of  Norwegian 
jurisdiction.  For  the  telegraph  many  short  cables 
must  be  used  to  cross  the  fjords  and  straits  which 
everywhere  intercept  the  route  along  the  coast. 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  159 

It  is  established  and  maintained  by  the  govern- 
ment, and  is  managed  in  a  very  satisfactory  way, 
generally  in  connection  with  the  post,  each  depart- 
ment occupying  separate  rooms,  which  are  adjoin- 
ing. All  telegraph  operators  must  undergo  an 
examination  in  writing  and  speaking  Norwegian, 
German,  English,  and  French,  though  the  latter 
is  less  indispensable,  and  some  of  them,  I  found, 
spoke  English  very  imperfectly.  Still  we  could 
get  along  and  make  each  other  understood. 

The  people  of  Hammerfest  maintained  the 
well-deserved  reputation  of  the  Norwegians  for 
hospitality  and  kindness  to  strangers.  If  you  ask 
a  boy  or  a  man  in  the  streets  the  way  to  the  tele- 
graph office  —  that  is  a  word  you  can  make  all 
understand  —  instead  of  pointing  you  the  way  he 
will  most  likely  turn  round  and  lead  the  way  for 
half  a  mile,  if  need  be,  to  show  you  the  place 
inquired  for,  nor  will  any  remonstrance  on  your 
part  dissuade  him  from  the  execution  of  his 
benevolent  purpose. 

I  cannot  omit  mentioning  the  courtesy  of  the 
chief  clerk,  or  manager,  as  we  would  call  him,  of 
the  telegraph  office  in  Hammerfest,  who  had  once 
visited  America,  where  he  had  been  kindly  re- 
ceived. He  insisted  on  devoting  every  moment 


160  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

of  time  he  could  spare  from  his  official  duties 
to  us. 

In  order  to  see  the  midnight  sun  at  Hammer- 
fest,  it  is  necessary  to  row  out  a  mile  and  a  half 
opposite  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  where  a  clear 
view  of  the  horizon  at  the  surface  of  the  water 
is  obtained.  This  gentlema'n  engaged  a  fisher- 
man with  fishing  tackle,  and  accompanied  us 
out,  explaining  all  objects  of  interest,  and  un- 
weariedly  answered  questions  in  reference  to  the 
country  and  the  people,  their  mode  of  living  and 
conducting  business,  their  sports,  their  merry- 
makings and  their  pleasures ;  how  they  spend 
their  long  winter  nights,  and  a  thousand  other 
things  which  a  traveler  desires  to  learn  when  he 
visits  foreign  countries. 

From  him  and  also  from  many  others  I  learned 
that  immediately  upon  the  sea-shore  the  weather 
is  not  excessively  or  even  uncomfortably  cold ; 
nor  is  it  dark  during  the  winter  night,  but  rather 
as  it  is  with  us  when  the  snow  is  on  the  ground 
and  the  moon  at  her  full ;  still  the  light  is  of  a 
different  character  and  appearance.  This  arises 
from  the  boreal  lights  which,  during  the  winter, 
are  ever  streaming  up  the  northern  sky,  enabling 
one,  even  when  there  is  no  moon,  to  distinguish 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  161 

countenances  at  a  short  distance.  The  winter 
nights  are  made  the  occasions  for  joyous  gather- 
ings and  social  meetings,  which,  with  their  music 
and  dancing  and  frolics,  are  looked  forward  to 
rather  with  pleasing  anticipations  than  an  un- 
pleasant dread. 

In  talking  with  the  residents  of  Hammerfest 
I  found  them  as  much  attached  to  their  country 
and  its  peculiarities  as  are  people  of  other  coun- 
tries, and  indeed  they  seemed  to  think  it  strange 
that  everybody  did  not  prefer  Hammerfest  as  a 
place  of  residence.  Their  jolly  good  winters, 
their  long,  unbroken  day  of  summer,  their  pure, 
invigorating  atmosphere,  their  ever-open  sea  and 
bold,  grand  mountain  scenery — all  had  charms 
for  them  which,  in  their  estimation,  could  no- 
where else  be  equaled.  The  love  of  home  is  a 
blessed  thing,  and  so  is  it  fortunate  that  the 
varying  tastes  of  mankind  serve  to  content  peo- 
ple in  every  portion  of  the  habitable  globe.  If 
all  loved  the  tropics,  or  all  sought  the  frigid 
zone,  all  mankind  would  swarm  into  a  very  lim- 
ited space  and  but  a  fraction  of  the  present 
human  family  could  find  room  in  which  to  live. 

We  left  the  wharf  in  our  fishing-boat  at  10:30 
P.  M.,  and  when  out  about  half-way,  stopped  at 


162  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

what  our  fishermen  considered  a  favorable  place, 
that  is,  shoal  water,  not  more  than  from  forty  to 
sixty  feet  deep,  and  the  ladies  took  their  first 
lessons  in  cod-fishing. 

One  large  hook  is  attached  to  the  end  of  the 
line,  with  no  bait  but  some  bright  object  at- 
tached to  it.  Two  yards  above  the  hook  is  the 
sinker,  of  six  or  eight  pounds  of  lead,  attached 
to  a  short  branch  line.  This  is  thrown  over- 
board and  let  run  out  till  the  sinker  strikes  the 
bottom ;  it  is  then  drawn  in  a  little  more  than 
the  fathom,  so  that  the  hook  will  be  just  clear 
of  the  bottom.  Then  commences  the  fishing, 
which  consists  in  raising  the  hand  holding  the 
line  as  high  as  possible  and  then  lowering  it  to 
the  gunwale  of  the  boat,  and  the  more  vigorous 
this  pumping  operation  the  greater  the  success 
to  be  expected.  I  tell  the  truth  when  I  say 
that  the  feather-edge  of  sport  soon  gets  worn 
off  when  fishing  becomes  such  work  instead  of 
play.  However,  every  new  bite  stimulates  the 
neophyte,  and  to  haul  in  a  slapping  codfish,  that 
makes  the  water  fly  over  everything  and  every- 
body is  a  triumph  which  makes  one  quite  forget 
the  labor,  or  that  wet  clothes  are  not  the  most 
agreeable  and  healthy  of  all  things. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  163 

We  took  a  few  fish  at  the  first  stopping 
place ;  but  they  were  pronounced  not  to  be 
biting  well,  and  we  pulled  away  to  a  more 
favorite  shoal,  which  commanded  a  view  of  the 
mouth  of  the  harbor,  and  was  the  desired  posi- 
tion for  the  main  object  of  our  visit. 

The  fish,  we  thought,  were  biting  well  as  mid- 
night approached.  The  sun  was  still  hanging 
in  the  heavens  and  very  slowly  descending  to- 
ward the  horizon,  but  passing  to  the  north  much 
more  rapidly.  I  held  my  watch  as  the  minute 
hand  slowly  passed  the  dots  upon  the  dial  and 
approached  the  point  which  should  denote  the 
close  of  the  present  day  and  mark  the  begin- 
ning of  another.  Slower  and  slower  the  sun 
seemed  to  move,  until  finally  he  looked  as  if 
hung  in  heaven  at  a  stationary  point,  where  he 
appeared  to  rest  before  commencing  his  ascend- 
ing course  on  a  new  day's  journey.  For  two 
minutes  or  more  he  paused,  and  I  was  unable 
to  detect  any  movement  in  his  course.  In  that 
space  the  last  minute  of  the  day  was  passed, 
and  was  finally  buried  in  the  tomb  of  time  and 
was  mingled  with  the  ages  of  the  past.  Slowly 
the  sun  began  to  ascend  the  heavens,  and  ap- 
parently with  accelerated  motion,  giving  his  light 


164  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

to  cheer  the  new-born  day.  He  shone  just  as 
brightly  at  his  lowest  point  as  before  or  after. 
He  gave  a  sickly  light  at  best,  which  lacked  the 
fervor  of  the  light  he  gives  in  lower  latitudes. 
He  stopped  in  his  descending  course  when  about 
one-sixth  the  distance  from  the  zenith  to  the 
horizon  remained  to  reach  the  water  of  the 
ocean. 

For  a  stranger  to  such  scenes  to  watch  that 
supreme  moment  was  full  of  intense  excitement, 
and  I  scarcely  heard  the  shouts  of  triumph  by 
the  ladies,  whose  ambition  was  to  catch  a  fish 
at  the  moment  of  midnight,  and  within  a  minute 
of  that  moment  all  three  were  hauling  in  their 
lines,  and  it  became  a  struggle  who  should  land 
the  struggling  victim  first,  all  shouting  in  joyous 
exultation  at  the  exciting  sport.  I  was  too  ab- 
sorbed with  the  natural  phenomenon  to  enter 
into  the  spirit  of  their  contest.  For  the  time  at 
least  the  enthusiasm  of  the  sportsman  was  lost, 
inspired  by  nature's  wondrous  works  so  strangely 
revealed  before  me.  As  the  sun  traveled  on  his 
journey  he  gradually  lost  his  unwonted  interest, 
and  I  again  thought  of  the  fishing  which  was 
actively  going  on  around  me. 

Soon  all  were  pretty  thoroughly  wet,  and  the 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  165 

cool  breeze  coming  in  from  the  north  began  to 
make  us  all  feel  chilly,  so  the  lines  were  taken 
in  and  we  set  our  faces  for  home,  which  we 
reached  before  one  o'clock. 

The  score  was  twenty-one  codfish,  and  the 
fisherman  complained  that  the  fish  were  obstinate 
and  would  not  bite,  and  he  felt  he  had  not  given 
us  the  worth  of  our  money  ;  but  as  his  charge 
was  but  one  dollar,  I  confess  I  was  quite  satisfied 
with  the  investment. 

You  may  suppose  it  was  now  time  to  get  to 
bed,  and  so  should  we  have  thought,  no  doubt, 
had  it  been  dark  ;  but  as  it  was  full  daylight  all 
the  time,  and  as  the  people  in  the  hotel  were 
still  up  and  active,  we  ordered  some  of  our  fish 
cooked  at  once,  and  our  friend  stayed  to  dinner 
with  us. 

The  quicker  a  fish  is  cooked  after  it  leaves 
the  water  the  better  it  is,  and  as  these  were 
right  fresh  and  well  cooked,  and  the  excursion 
in  the  cool  bracing  air  upon  the  water  had  given 
us  good  appetites,  we  enjoyed  this  midnight 
dinner  most  charmingly.  By  three  o'clock  we 
got  to  bed,  and  with  the  aid  of  blankets  to  darken 
the  room  got  a  good  sound  sleep  for  s'everal 
hours. 


CHAPTER    XII 


TRADE  IN  HAMMERFEST;  THE  LAPP  QUARTER;  AMERICAN  CONSUL; 
LEAVE  HAMMERFEST;  OUR  NORTHERN  POSITION;  ISLAND  CHAN- 
NELS; BOSEKOP,  THE  LAPLAND  EDEN;  THE  HOTEL;  AN  ARCTIC 
BOUQUET;  RAPID  GROWTH  OF  FLOWERS;  PEAT  BOGS;  CHURCH 
ARCHITECTURE;  THE  FORESTS;  VALLEY  OF  THE  ALTEN  RIVER; 
CODFISH  TRADE;  UNCONSCIOUSLY  AID  A  TRUANT;  AN  HISTORICAL 
MONUMENT. 

THE  time  we  spent  in  Hammerfest  was  very 
pleasant.  But  the  midnight  sun  loses  its 
novelty  and  its  charm  at  last,  and  we  even  weary 
of  perpetual  day,  and  begin  to  long  for  night 
and  darkness.  It  does  not  take  long  to  see  the 
sights  of  Hammerfest.  None  of  us  were  equal 
to  climbing  the  high  mountain  back  of  us,  for  I 
was  still  suffering  from  my  hurt  received  at  Bodo, 
and  could  accomplish  none  but  gentle  walks, 
where  I  could  step  cautiously  and  with  little 
effort ;  so  we  had  to  forego  the  grand  view  which 
is  to  be  obtained  from  the  top  of  this  mountain, 
which  overlooks  the  ocean  at  the  north,  so  that 
from  that  high  point  you  may  count  the  thousand 

lower  islands  which  dot  the  surface  of  the  sea. 

(167) 


168  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

The  walk  along  the  wharves  was  often  re- 
peated. They  swarmed  with  little  boats,  which 
seemed  to  be  the  homes  of  whole  families  of 
Lapps,  with  all  their  household  goods,  always 
some  going  and  others  arriving.  Vessels  from 
the  Mediterranean,  the  Baltic  and  the  White  Sea, 
to  the  number  of  a  score  or  more,  were  resting 
quietly  at  anchor,  but  scarcely  any  close  to  the 
docks.  They  were  taking  in  fish  or  discharging 
cargo  in  a  listless,  lazy  way,  which  showed  they 
were  in  no  hurry  to  get  to  sea  again. 

The  Lapp  quarter  occupies  a  very  narrow 
street  close  to  the  water,  and  its  filthy  appear- 
ance and  unpleasant  odors  —  not  from  the  oil 
factories  —  strongly  reminded  me  of  the  Chinese 
quarter  in  San  Francisco.  I  confess  I  was  not 
strongly  tempted  to  enter  them,  but  as  a  matter 
of  duty  I  did  go  into  one,  which  answered  for 
the  whole,  and  satisfied  my  curiosity.  It  was 
small  and  filthy  and  not  sweet  smelling,  and  was 
full  of  Lapps  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes,  all  talk- 
ing and  gesticulating  or  crying,  which  made  one 
suspect  he  was  in  pandemonium.  Trinkets  were 
there  for  sale  made  of  the  antlers  of  the  deer  or 
their  skins  and  sinews.  I  was  not  in  a  trading 
mood,  and  so  carried  away  all  my  money.  In  such 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  169 

a  place  and  scene  in  any  other  country  I  might  have 
doubted  the  probability  of  this,  but^with  all  their 
loud  talking-  and  demonstrations  one  need  have 

o 

no  fear  of  violence  among  them.  Their  integrity 
is  well  established,  and  they  are  not  given  to 
violence.  Crime  is  very  rare  among  them.  Prob- 
ably in  no  part  of  the  world  is  less  violence  to 
be  feared  than  in  Finmark,  where  statistics  show 
that  crime  is  of  rare  occurrence. 

I  paid  my  respects  to  the  gentleman  to  whom 
I  was  referred  as  the  American  Consul,  whose 
official  duties  are  far  from  onerous  —  indeed  they 
may  be  said  to  be  nominal  —  who  accepts  the 
title  for  the  honor  rather  than  the  profit,  and  is 
gratified  to  enjoy  the  distinction  of  representing 
our  country  in  that  part  of  Norway,  and  is 
delighted  at  an  opportunity  of  being  in  any  way 
serviceable  to  those  he  claims  as  his  distant  con- 
stituents, when  they  happen  to  wander  within 
his  jurisdiction.  It  was  a  source  of  deep  regret 
that  the  severe  colds  with  which  the  ladies  suf- 
fered after  the  midnight  fishing  excursion  pre- 
vented them  from  paying  their  respects  to  his 
good  lady,  of  whose  courtesy  and  kindness  we 
heard  the  most  favorable  reports  from  all  who 
met  her. 


170  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

Having  completed  our  stay  at  Hammerfest, 
we  bade  it  farewell,  not  without  regret  at  parting 
with  those  who  had  treated  the  strangers  with  so 
much  kindness,  and  soon  after  breakfast  went  on 
board  the  little  steamer  which,  as  before  stated, 
serves  as  a  tender  to  those  of  the  regular  line, 
by  running  along  the  coast  far  into  the  interior. 
We  were  soon  on  our  way  from  this  most  north- 
ern point  I  ever  expect  to  reach.  Our  course  led 
us  over  the  spot  where  we  had  seen  the  midnight 
sun  a  few  evenings  before,  and  where  the  ladies 
had  so  much  enjoyed  the  fishing.  Thence  we 
turned  a  point  to  the  left,  which  shut  out  the  last 
view  of  the  quiet  little  town,  which  is  situated 
so  far  within  the  Arctic  Circle  as  to  give  it  one 
distinction  at  least  above  all  the  greatest  cities 
of  the  world,  and  for  this  alone,  if  for  no  other 
reason,  it  must  ever  be  a  place  of  interest  to 
the  traveler. 

We  could  hardly  comprehend  how  far  north 
we  were  till  we  looked  upon  the  map  and  traced 
the  parallels  from  one  continent  to  the  other, 
and  found  we  were  several  degrees  north  of 
Behring's  Strait,  and  nearly  on  the  line  with 
Barrow's  Point,  the  extreme  point  of  the  conti- 
nent on  the  northwest  coast  of  America,  which 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  171 

is  so  far  thrust  out  into  the  frozen  ocean.  Here 
the  ocean  never  freezes ;  there  it  is  always  frozen, 
except  for  a  short  time  in  summer. 

Now  we  were  in  the  same  latitude  with  the 
western  magnetic  pole  on  Boothia  Felix,  near 
and  but  little  north  of  which  Sir  John  Franklin 
and  his  party  were  frozen  in,  and  finally  perished 
to  the  last  man.  When  the  map  revealed  these 
relative  positions,  we  saw  that  in  very  truth  we 
were  a  long  way  from  home,  and  were  well  on 
our  way  to  the  pole  itself. 

Our  course  soon  changed  to  the  southeast,  and 
we  quickly  threaded  our  way  among  the  maze  of 
islands  and  through  the  crooked  channels,  where 
a  stranger  would  have  become  inextricably  con- 
fused and  lost.  The  day  was  beautiful ;  the  sun 
shone  brightly,  the  air  was  soft  and  sweet  and 
bracing.  The  eider-ducks  were  constantly  flying 
across  our  course,  and  small  herds  of  reindeer 
were  seen  on  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  or  in 
the  intervales  near  the  water's  edge.  Fishing  huts 
were  often  passed,  and  the  fishermen  in  their 
boats  were  frequently  met  with,  and  there  only 
lacked  the  appearance  of  a  bear  or  a  stately  elk 
to  fill  up  the  picture  of  animated  nature. 

The    scenery  this  day  was   finer  than    any  we 


172  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

had  before  met,  and  we  spent  the  day  upon  the 
deck,  enjoying  it  to  the  full,  and  the  mind  would 
involuntarily  wander  back  to  pre-historic  times 
and  wonder  who,  with  human  eyes,  first  saw 
these  steep  mountains  and  bold  shores,  who  first 
climbed  the  craggy  cliffs  or  attempted  to  pick 
his  way  along  these  fjords  and  among  these 
fantastic  islands,  each  so  widely  differing  from 
the  other,  and  yet  many  so  rugged  and  so 
frowning?  What  were  those  people  like  and 
who  are  their  descendants?  Where  are  the  rec- 
ords they  have  left,  and  in  what  condition  did 
they  live  ?  Ancient  relics  here  are  scarce,  and 
the  paleontologist  finds  scant  record  to  tell  him 
of  the  past. 

The  islands,  however,  which  we  this  day 
passed  were  not  all  mountains.  The  views  were 
diversified  with  lower  lands  and  tamer  scenery. 
On  quite  a  number  the  surface  was  compara- 
tively low  and  level  and  covered  with  trees  and 
shrubbery,  almost  out  of  keeping  with  the  usual 
scenery  in  arctic  Norway. 

In  the  afternoon  we  reached  the  head  of 
Alten  Fjord  and  made  our  final  landing  at 
Bosekop.  This  has,  by  some,  been  called  the 
Eden  of  Lapland,  and  is  certainly  the  most  beau- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  173 

tifully  located  of  any  place  we  saw  in  Finmark. 
The  shipping  is  accommodated  at  a  small  dock, 
adjoining  which  are  two  small  warehouses.  From 
this  point  the  bluff  rises  about  one  foot  in  eight 
to  the  altitude  of  about  one  hundred  feet,  where 
occurs  a  narrow  table  and  then  another  more 
gentle  ascent,  of  less  height  to  the  .level  country 
stretching  away  inland.  Further  south  there  is 
more  space  between  the  water  and  the  bluff, 
along  which  runs  a  street  or  road,  bordered  by 
peasants'  cottages  or  fishermen's  cabins. 

The  broad  hill-side  was  covered  with  a  rich 
carpet  of  green  grass,  which  presented  a  cheer- 
ful prospect  An  evergreen  forest  crowned  the 
heights  beyond,  and  we  seemed  all  at  once  to 
have  entered  upon  a  scene  of  rich  vegetation, 
quite  in  contrast  with  the  barrenness  or  stunted 
growth  we  had  everywhere  previously  met. 

The  hotel  is  a  large  two-story  wooden 
house,  built  in  the  manner  before  described,  and 
newly  painted  white,  and  standing  as  it  does  on 
that  first  high  table,  commands  a  view  of  the 
great  bay  in  front  for  ten  miles  or  more,  and  is 
a  conspicuous  object,  which  may  be  seen  at  a 
great  distance  from  the  southern  part  of  the 
bay,  but  is  hidden  by  a  high  promontory  from 


174  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

the  northern  approach.  There  was  no  carriage 
there  to  take  us  up  the  hill,  so  we  had  to  make 
the  ascent  on  foot.  It  was  a  hard  task  for  the 
invalid  and  was  a  work  of  time.  Frequent 
rests  upon  the  soft  grass  lightened  the  labor 
much,  and  so  we  reached  the  house,  where  we 
found  comfortable  rooms  —  comfortable  for  those 
who  desire  to  be  satisfied  and  pleased  with  what 
is  clean,  though  very  plain,  and  really  provides 
for  one's  physical  nature  as  well  as  if  luxuries 
were  thrown  in ;  for  here,  certainly,  there  was 
not  the  least  appearance  of  luxury.  But  the 
people  were  obliging  and  desirous  to  please,  and 
this  is  a  seasoning  which  makes  palatable  very 
plain  fare  indeed.  Those  who  are  always  quar- 
reling with  their  bread  and  butter  are  not  likely 
to  have  a  pleasant  journey. 

After  taking  possession  of  our  new  quarters 
and  seeing  all  things  made  comfortable,  I  sallied 
out  to  explore,  and  soon  found  myself  at  the 
top  of  the  second  table.  It  was  a  luxury  to  find 
myself  walking  on  a  carpet  of  rich,  green  grass, 
and  what  was  still  more  pleasing,  I  found  among 
the  grass  quite  a  variety  of  wild  flowers,  and 
during  a  short  walk  I  gathered  a  pretty  arctic 
bouquet.  This  was  cheering  news,  and  I  hastened 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  175 

to  the  house  to  communicate   it,  and   to  present 

the    evidence    that   if   nature    frowns    upon    these 

I 
bleak    regions    with    stern     rigor    she    smiles    as 

well  at  times.  Of  course  all  must  be  enthusi- 
astic over  arctic  flowers,  and  a  regular  excursion 
in  search  of  them  was  planned  for  the  next 
day. 

A  single  day  showed  a  wonderful  develop- 
ment of  flowers,  and  indeed  all  vegetation.  Ten 
flowers  were  found  now  where  one  was  met  the 
day  before,  and  many  new  varieties  which  were 
not  then  observed,  so  that  we  had  no  trouble 
in  making  a  fine  collection. 

On  the  top  of  the  upper  table  an  extensive 
peat  bog  was  found,  though  apparently  of  lim- 
ited depth.  Several  excavations  showed  where 
peat,  though  of  an  inferior  quality,  had  been 
taken  for  fuel,  and  drains  were  cut  through  it  in 
various  directions. 

Many  cows  were  pasturing  upon  it,  though 
the  grass  seemed  coarser  and  less  abundant 
than  beyond  it.  The  most  abundant  vegetation 
found  on  the  peat  bog  was  a  low,  shrubby  vine, 
on  which  a  yellow  berry  grows,  about  the  size 
of  a  mulberry,  which  is  called  Multebar,  and  is 
extensively  used  in  that  country  in  the  form  of 


176  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

sauce.  It  is  also  made  into  preserves  when  fresh, 
and  thus  kept,  and  it  is  even  exported  in  bar- 
rels. I  confess  it  was  not  agreeable  to  my  palate. 
It  lacked  flavor,  and  had  an  insipid  taste.  t  With 
longer  use  I  might,  no  doubt,  become  fond  of  it. 
On  our  first  arrival  at  Bosekop  scarcely  one  of 
these  vines  was  in  bloom ;  yet  in  two  days  after 
the  ground  was  white  with  the  flowers  all  over 
the  peat  bed. 

The  deposit  of  peat  I  found  very  common  on 
the  rocky  islands  and  in  places  where  I  should 
not  have  thought  of  looking  for  it.  I  found  it 
often  spread  out  in  thin  sheets,  not  more  than 
one  or  two  inches  thick,,  on  the  steep  sides  of 
the  otherwise  naked  rock,  hundreds  of  feet  up 
the  declivity,  where  one  would  suppose  it  would 
be  washed  off  by  the  first  heavy  rain.  Geolo- 
gists may,  no  doubt,  readily  explain  how  it  got 
there  and  how  it  is  retained,  but  I  confess  it  is 
to  me  a  profound  mystery.  Of  course  it  was 
poor  and  unfit  for  fuel  of  any  considerable 
value ;  but  still  it  was  true  peat,  and  would 
make  a  fire  when  nothing  better  could  be  found. 

Still  back  of  the  peat  bog  and  on  the  highest 
elevation  stood  the  Lutheran  church,  a  good- 
sized,  commodious  structure,  painted  white,  ex- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  177 

cept  the  steeple,  which  was  black.  Nearly  all 
the  Lutheran  churches  in  Norway  are  of  one 
style  of  architecture.  They  have  high,  steep 
roofs,  with  tall,  slender  spires,  and  with  a  closed 
porch  in  front,  and  then  an  ante-room,  the  roof 
of  which  is  still  higher,  which  is  attached  to  the 
main  building  under  the  spire.  To  the  opposite 
or  back  end  of  the  church  is  attached  a  small 
structure.  This  suggested  to  an  unregenerate 
sinner  the  horrid  conundrum,  "Why  is  the  Nor- 
wegian church  like  a  rolling-pin  ? "  To  which 
he  coolly  answered,  "  Because  it  tapers  at  both 
ends!" 

Around  this  church  are  quite  a  number  of 
neat  and  comfortable  dwellings. 

This  suburb  is  full  half  a  mile  back  from  the 
town  near  the  bay. 

The  country  back  was  covered  with  a  pine 
forest.  The  trees  were  not  large,  but  were 
abundant.  Deciduous  trees  were  met  with  fur- 
ther south  and  down  the  bluff,  but  they  were 
scarcely  more  than  shrubs.  So  far  as  I  went  in 
the  interior  the  country  was  pretty  level ;  but 
the  soil  was  light  and  not  very  productive.  In 
several  places  the  forest  had  been  cleared  away 
and  snug  farmsteads  established ;  but  not  suffi- 


178      _          A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

cient  to  show  that,  even  in  that  favored  spot, 
agriculture  was  prosperous.  At  the  most  thrifty 
looking  place  I  saw,  the  farmer  was  a  blacksmith 
as  well,  and  it  is  quite  probable  that  his  thrift 
was  owing  as  much  to  this  as  to  that  occupation. 
The  old  plows  lying  around  outside  his  shop, 
and  apparently  abandoned  for  use,  showed  some 
curious  designs,  while  others  resembled  our  own 
very  much. 

I  did  not  extend  my  rambles  into  the  valley, 
or  rather  the  bottoms  of  the  Alten  river ;  but 
obtained  a  pretty  extensive  view  of  the  valley, 
which  had  the  appearance  of  a  prosperous  agri- 
cultural country,  with  fine  farms  and  houses, 
which  was  refreshing  to  look  upon  in  the  arctic 
regions.  This  rich  valley  extends  far  back  into 
the  country  and  relieves  the  general  sterility  of 
the  land. 

The  Alten  river  is  a  large  stream,  and  famous 
for  its  salmon-fishing,  and  empties  into  the  fjord 
a  few  miles  east  of  the  town. 

A  mile  or  more  below  the  town,  upon  an 
extensive  shingle  beach,  were  a  great  many  little 
stacks  of  codfish,  which  had  there  been  dried, 
and  were  now  being  taken  away  in  small  boats 
and  loaded  in  bulk  into  a  schooner  lying  at  the 


PERPET.UAL  DAY,  179 

dock.  Men  and  women,  girls  and  boys,  to  the 
number  of  thirty  or  forty,  were  engaged  in  this 
service,  and,  except  the  children,  they  for  their 
services  received  thirty  skillings  per  day  of 
about  twelve  hours  work.  The  girls,  especially, 
seemed  very  strong,  and  were  the  most  efficient 
hands.  There  were  no  young  men  among  them. 
These  were,  no  doubt,  all  off  fishing  at  night, 
or  what  should  be  night ;  for  the  fishing-boats,  I 
observed,  went  out  about  six  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, and  were  generally  returned  before  I  was  up 
in  the  morning. 

I  took  a  walk  down  the  beach  and  inspected 
more  closely  the  numerous  stacks  of  codfish,  and 
then  turned  away  to  the  left  and  followed  a 
blind  road,  which  led  me  to  the  upper  bluff, 
through  a  dense  growth  of  shrubbery,  and  thence 
made  my  way  along  the  top  of  the  bluff,  toward 
the  town,  passing  several  cabins  on  the  way, 
surrounded  by  gardens,  which  were  just  being 
planted  on  the  third  of  July. 

As  I  was  passing  one  of  these  cabins  a  stout 
little  lad,  about  three  years  old,  joined  me  and 
trotted  along  in  front  till  we  came  to  a  brook, 
across  which  a  stick  was  laid  to  serve  as  a  foot 
passage.  The  child  made  me  understand  he 


180  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

wanted  to  cross,  so  I  picked  him  up  and  set 
him  down  on  the  other  side,  as  I  supposed  to 
join  some  men  at  work  by  the  side  of  the  path, 
among  whom  I  assumed  was  his  father.  He 
led  the  way  past  them,  however,  without  the 
least  notice,  and  trotted  on  in  a  waddling  gait, 
but  with  an  independent  air,  which  now  became 
amusing.  When  I  stopped  to  examine  the  pros- 
pect, or  some  interesting  object,  he  would  stop 
and  wait  for  me,  as  if  he  were  in  my  service  as 
a  guide.  When  we  came  to  a  set  of  bars  across 
the  main  road,  which  we  there  joined,  leading 
down  to  the  hotel,  he  stopped  and  waited  till  I 
opened  them,  and  then  tumbled  through  and 
trotted  down  the  hill.  Presently  I  heard  a  fe- 
male voice  calling  out  in  a  sharp,  commanding 
tone  which  put  the  boy  at  once  at  the  top  of 
his  speed,  and  he  certainly  made  good  time,  for 
one  of  his  form  and  years,  down  the  hill ;  but 
the  mother  —  as  I  presume  —  came  rushing  by 
me  in  hot  pursuit,  with  long  and  rapid  strides, 
and  soon  overtook  the  runaway,  and  caught  him 
up  and  made  several  impressions  on  him  with 
her  brawny  hand,  which  must  have  left  the  cu- 
ticle of  the  young  Norwegian  in  rather  a  glow- 
ing condition.  She  then  shouldered  the  lad  and 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  181 

packed  him  off  up  the  hill  and  toward  home, 
in  a  way  which  plainly  said  she  was  not  pleased 
with  the  truant  habits  of  her  young  hopeful. 

I  did  not  suspect  that  the  boy  was  running 
away  till  the  irate  mother  thus  suddenly  burst  in 
upon  the  scene,  and  when  I  did  comprehend  the 
situation  I  could  not  help  admiring  how  ingeni- 
ously the  little  rascal  had  managed  to  get  me  to 
help  him  over  the  brook,  which  the  good  house- 
wife had,  no  doubt,  depended  upon  as  a  sure  bar- 
rier to  his  truant  habits,  and  how  the  confident 
and  quiet  air  he  had  all  along  assumed  tended 
to  allay  any  suspicion  of  the  real  truth.  That 
lad,  I  have  little  doubt,  will  yet  make  his  mark. 


CHAPTER    XI  II. 


HISTORICAL  MONUMENT;  HAROLD  HAARFAGER,  NORWAY'S  FIRST 
AND  GREAT  KING;  THE  STORY  OF  HIS  CONQUEST  OF  KINGDOM 
AND  QUEEN;  THE  EXPELLED  JARLS;  THEIR  SETTLEMENTS  AND 
COLONIES;  DISCOVERY  OF  ICELAND;  ITS  SETTLEMENT,  REPUB- 
LICAN GOVERNMENT,  CONVERSION  TO  CHRISTIANITY,  HISTORIANS 

AND  POETS;  DISCOVERY  AND  SETTLEMENT  OF  GREENLAND;  SCAN- 
DINAVIAN CLAIM  OF  THE  DISCOVERY  OF  AMERICA;  THE  SEVERAL 
EXPEDITIONS;  THE  FIRST  WHITE  MAN  BURIED  AND  THE  FIRST 
WHITE  CHILD  BORN  IN  AMERICA;  CREDIT  TO  WHICH  THESE 
CLAIMS  OF  DISCOVERY  ARE  ENTITLED. 

IN  the  course  of  this  ramble  I  observed  some 
distance  from  the  path  along  which  the  way 
was  leading  me,  in  a  lone  and  desolate  looking 
place,  a  rough  monument,  consisting  of  a  single 
thick  granite  slab,  about  twelve  feet  high,  which 
I  approached,  and  read  high  up  on  its  face  this 

inscription  : 

HAROLD,     872. 

CARL,         1872. 

I  had  heard  no  mention  of  this  monument, 
and  hence  was  looking  for  nothing  of  the  kind. 
When  I  found  it  I  was  at  no  loss  to  understand 
that  the  first  line  referred  to  the  first  great  king 

of   Norway,  who   reigned   a  thousand   years  ago, 

(183) 


184  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

while  the  second  explained  itself.  I  could  not 
doubt  that  the  first  was  designed  to  commemo- 
rate some  great  event  in  the  life  or  reign  of 
Harold  Haarfager  connected  with  Norway,  and 
probably  with  the  very  spot  where  the  column 
is  raised ;  but  what  that  particular  event  was 
no  one  could  explain.  The  epoch  referred  to 
was,  no  doubt,  the  final  conquest  of  the  petty 
governments  into  which  Norway  was  divided ; 
but  if  the  closing  scene  was  there  enacted  I  did 
not  know  of  it,  nor  what  was  the  last  act  to 
complete  the  final  conquest. 

Harold  Haarfager  was  the  son  and  heir  of 
Halvdan  the  Black,  who  was  king  in  southern 
Sweden  and  southeastern  Norway,  as  the  bound- 
aries now  run.  Edsvoldbakken,  of  which  I  shall 
have  occasion  to  say  more  hereafter,  was  the  seat 
of  government,  or  the  place  where  the  people 
used  to  assemble  en  masse  to  make  the  laws. 

At  that  time  Norway  was  divided  into  thirty- 
one  principalities  or  earldoms,  which  were  gov- 
erned by  independent  jarls  or  earls,  not  abso- 
lutely or  despotically,  but  as  the  leaders  of 
petty  democracies  where  classes  of  the  people, 
more  or  less  select,  participated  directly  in 
legislation. 


PERPETUAL  DAY,  185 

When  Harold  Haarfager  was  born  is  not 
known,  and  the  computations  which  have  been 
made  to  settle  the  date  of  his  nativity  do  not 
agree,  and  none  are  quite  satisfactory.  If  we 
accept  850  as  the  date  of  his  birth,  we  make 
him  a  greater  prodigy  in  love  than  he  is  proved 
to  have  been  in  war. 

We  may  accept  the  year  860  as  a  better 
authenticated  date  for  the  time  when  he  com- 
menced the  war  against  the  neighboring  jarls 
for  the  unification  of  the  crown  of  Norway.  It 
is  said  that  he  was  stimulated  to  undertake  that 
great  enterprise  by  his  love  for  Gyda,  the 
daughter  of  the  neighboring  king  of  Hordoland, 
whose  beauty  and  accomplishments  had  become 
famous.  So  he  sent  an  embassy  to  offer  her  his 
heart  if  not  his  hand.  The  ambitious  maiden 
rejected  his  proposal  with  a  lofty  and  dignified 
scorn,  and  sent  him  word  that  she  would  not  be- 
come the  wife  of  any  one  less  than  a  real  king, 
governing  in  his  own  right  the  entire  country. 
Let  him  first  subdue  the  trifling-  fellows  who  as- 

o 

sumed  to  rule  as  jarls  the  petty  districts,  which 
they  called  their  own,  and  reign  as  supreme  king 
of  Norway,  and  then  she  might  possibly  think  of 
him  should  she  still  be  disengaged. 


186  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

A  spirit  so  congenial  to  his  own  ambitious 
aspirations  captivated  him  still  more  than  her 
matchless  beauty,  and  he  resolved  to  win  her 
upon  the  conditions  which  she  proposed. 

Now  this  Harold  had  a  beautiful  head  of 
yellow  hair,  with  a  rich  and  flowing  beard,  which 
was  the  admiration  of  the  whole  world ;  and  to 
assure  Gyda  how  much  he  was  in  earnest,  he 
swore  by  all  the  gods,  and  especially  Odin  and 
Thor,  that  he  would  never  cut  his  hair  or  trim 
his  beard,  and  some  of  his  greatest  admirers, 
who  wish  to  put  it  very  strongly,  say,  nor  comb 
them  either — I  believe  some  say  that  he  fore- 
swore the  use  of  water — till  he  should  accom- 
plish the  sanguinary  task  which  was  the  condition 
on  which  depended  his  success  in  that  important 
love  affair.  For  twelve  long  years,  and  some 
say  fifteen,  and  some  even  more,  the  unkempt 
lover  fought  his  way  through  Norway,  subduing 
one  after  another  the  petty  jarls  who  had  before 
held  independent  sway,  until,  finally,  he  found 
all  prostrate  at  his  feet,  and  obeying  him  as 
their  lawful  sovereign,  or  else  they  had  fled  to 
other  lands,  and  sought  new  homes  beyond  the 
reach  of  his  long  arm. 

Not  content  with    Norway  alone,   the  tide  of 


PERPETUAL  DAY,  187 

his  triumph  rolled  westward  across  the  boisterous 
North  Sea,  and  overwhelmed  the  Orkneys  and 
the  Hebrides.  He  was  a  terrible  man,  and  none 
could  stand  before  him. 

It  may  be  well  imagined  that  in  subduing 
all  the  jarls  of  Norway  he  subdued  the  obdurate 
heart  of  Gyda  as  well,  and  now  that  her  condi- 
tion had  been  complied  with,  and  he  had  clipped 
and  combed  his  hair  and  beard,  and  washed,  she 
fell  into  the  arms  of  love,  which  were  also  the 
arms  of  valor,  without  further  importunity,  and 
with  only  the  second  asking,  for  now  she  won 
a  glittering  crown  as  well  as  a  glowing  heart. 
What  though  it  was  not  a  virgin  heart  and  all 
her  own,  as  it  probably  would  have  been  had 
she  said  yes  at  first,  the  crown  made  up  what 
was  lost  of  heart.  It  may  not  be  easy  for  those 
of  this  generation,  when  staid  and  monogamic 
habits  have  revolutionized  the  sense  of  the  pro- 
prieties of  life,  to  understand  how  the  triumphant 
bride  could  feel  no  humiliation  in  the  knowledge 
that  she  possessed  but  a  fraction  of  her  husband's 
love,  and  share  the  royal  couch  with  half  a 
dozen  other  wives,  more  or  less.  With  how 
many  he  had  consoled  himself  during  his  long 


188  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

probation  history  does  not  certainly  inform  us, 
but  hints  that  they  were  many. 

Thus  was  established  one  of  the  greatest 
dynasties  of  northern  Europe,  and  to  his  mem- 
ory the  monument  was  erected  which  I  found 
in  the  lonely  place  on  the  high  bluff  beyond 
Bosekop,  many  degrees  within  the  Arctic  Circle. 
The  particular  event  with  which  Charles  XVI. 
was  ambitious  to  associate  his  name  with  that  of 
the  great  king  could  not  be  mistaken  ;  although 
the  date  of  the  final  conquest  of  the  reigning 
jarls  and  the  complete  unification  of  the  crown 
of  Norway  is  stated  differently  by  different  his- 
torians, we  may  now  consider  it  as  settled  by 
authority  that  it  was  in  872. 

What  event  connected  this  particular  place 
with  that  great  epoch,  to  have  designated  it  as 
the  site  of  the  monument,  I  dare  not  pretend 
to  say.  It  tells  the  passer  by  that  a  thousand 
years  have  passed  since  Harold  did  some  great 
deed  there,  or  perhaps  that  some  great  naval 
battle  upon  the  bay  beneath  the  place  was 
fought,  whence  its  fluctuating  fortunes  and  final 
triumph  could  be  observed. 

Often  unlocked  for  results  follow  violent 
events.  So  it  was  in  this  case.  The  triumph 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  189 

of  the  lance  secured  the  triumph  of  learning. 
The  establishment  of  monarchy  gave  birth  to  a 
new  republic.  The  extension  of  conquest  led  the 
way  to  the  extension  of  discoveries,  far  more 
startling  than  were  ever  known  before,  and  led 
the  vikings  of  the  far  north  to  a  sight  of  longer 
winter  days  and  more  fertile  lands  than  their 
ancestors  had  ever  known.  From  the  land  of 
the  Lapp  they  found  the  way  to  the  home  of 
the  "  Skraellinger,"  a  wilder,  a  fiercer,  a  darker 
and  a  more  savage  race  than  they  had  ever 
before  dreamed  of,  without  a  knowledge  of  the 
arts  or  agriculture,  except  of  the  rudest  kind ; 
without  domestic  animals,  without  fixed  abodes 
or  institutions,  in  a  country  capable  of  the  high- 
est culture,  and  fit  for  a  home  of  refinement  and 
knowledge.  Such  was  the  land  and  such  the 
people  discovered  by  the  Northmen  forced  into 
distant  seas  by  the  heavy  hand  of  Harold,  and 
it  may  be  interesting  to  the  American  reader  at 
least  to  devote  a  few  pages  to  an  account  of 
those  great  discoveries. 

During  the  twelve  years'  war  which  Harold 
Haarfager  prosecuted  against  the  small  Norway 
democracies,  and  which  finally  terminated  in 
their  subjugation,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  ninth 


190  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

century,  many  distinguished  Norwegians  fled  to 
other  countries  rather  than  submit  to  the  sway 
of  the  conqueror.  The  vikings  sailed  away  with 
their  followers  to  the  British  Isles  and  the  north- 
ern coast  of  France,  and  many  distinguished 
Norwegians  sought  an  asylum  in  the  more 
northern  groups  of  islands,  the  Faroes,  Shetlands, 
Orkneys,  and  the  Hebrides,  although  there  too 
the  sway  of  the  conqueror  was  felt,  though  less 
rigorously. 

Although  Iceland  may  have  been  visited  from 
the  Mediterranean  centuries  before  the  Christian 
era,  and  is  claimed  to  have  been  seen  by  some 
wanderers  much  later,  still  the  world  was  in  fact 
ignorant  of  its  existence  till  the  very  year  in 
which  Harold  commenced  his  war  of  conquest 
of  Norway,  when  it  was  visited  by  one  of  those 
Norse  sea-rovers  named  Naddodd.  Four  years 
later  Gardar,  a  Swedish  navigator,  fell  in  with 
the  island  and  gave  it  his  own  name.  Six  years 
later  two  Norwegians,  Ingolfr  and  Leif,  while 
cruising  in  the  northern  seas,  came  upon  this 
great  island,  and  from  its  frigid  surroundings  and 
appearance  gave  it  the  name  which  it  has  ever 
since  borne. 

From  these  various   discoveries  the   existence 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  191 

of  the  island  became  generally  known,  and  its 
quiet  though  inhospitable  seclusion  began  to  be 
canvassed  as  a  fit  asylum  by  those  of  scholastic 
taste  in  Norway,  who  were  sick  of  turmoil  and 
bloodshed  and  longed  for  that  peace  so  indis- 
pensable to  the  rich  indulgence  of  their  culti- 
vation and  refinement. 

The  result  was  that  in  874  a  considerable 
number  of  the  most  learned  Norwegians,  who 
hated  tyranny  and  loved  the  old  freedom  which 
was  now  greatly  curtailed  though  not  entirely 
crushed  out  in  their  native  land,  taking  with 
them  their  families,  friends  and  effects,  and  with 
many  sighs  and  regrets,  bid  farewell  to  the 
rugged  shores  of  Norway  and  sailed  to  Ice- 
land, where  they  made  a  settlement,  which 
served  as  a  nucleus  for  succeeding  immigrations 
of  the  same  people,  who  rapidly  followed,  till  a 
very  considerable  state  was  formed. 

They  instituted  a  government  of  their  own, 
modeled  after  the  independent  forms  which 
Harold  had  overthrown  at  home,  which  secured 
to  every  one  the  utmost  freedom  consistent  with 
the  public  safety. 

This  free   republic  continued  with  the  utmost 


192  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

quiet  and  good  order  till  overthrown  by  Den- 
mark more  than  four  hundred  years  later. 

The  quiet  of  this  far-off  place,  instead  of 
causing  them  to  relapse  into  barbarism,  invited 
them  to  mental  culture,  and  in  the  end  the 
inhospitable  island  situated  on  the  very  borders 
of  the  Arctic  Circle,  became,  in  fact,  an  impor- 
tant seat  of  learning.  There  the  old  and  the 
wise  recounted  to  each  other  and  carefully 
compared  the  traditions  and  stories  which  each 
had  received  from  seniors  to  whom  they  had 
been  handed  down  by  preceding  generations, 
and  recited  the  poems  which  they  had  heard 
sung  by  their  ancestors,  or  composed  by  them- 
selves to  commemorate  the  events  of  their  own 
times.  Thus  were  the  long  arctic  nights  of 
winter  profitably  employed  in  learned  discus- 
sions and  dissertations,  while  the  outside  world 
was  disturbed  by  drunken  brawls  and  bloody 
wars,  the  approaching  shadows  of  the  dark  ages 
hanging  over  and  retarding  the  advancement  of 
the  human  mind. 

Still  paganism  was  the  prevalent  religion. 
Temples  to  Thor  and  Odin  were  still  reared 
and  consecrated,  but  without  enslaving  their 
votaries  and  bowing  them  beneath  a  yoke  of 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  193 

insupportable  bigotry  and  superstition.  All  the 
while  the  mental  light  grew  stronger  and 
stronger,  till  finally  an  hundred  years  after  the 
first  establishment  of  the  republic,  the  effulgence 
of  Christianity  broke  in  upon  them  and  ban- 
ished the  heathen  gods. 

About  this  time  the  learned  men  of  Iceland 
began  to  record  the  important  events  of  their 
own  times,  and  also  to  reduce  to  writing  the 
traditions  and  stories  and  poems  of  historical 
events,  which  had  been  hitherto  preserved  in 
memory  alone. 

The  history  thus  recorded  was  fragmentary 
no  doubt,  and  not  always  consistent,  but  prob- 
ably did  as  little  violence  to  truth  as  many 
histories  of  other  countries  written  in  the  inter- 
ests of  nations,  dynasties  or  individuals,  though 
of  greater  pretensions. 

The  Norwegians  have  always  been  a  mari- 
time people,  and  the  intercourse  was  always 
active  between  Iceland  and  the  mother  country 
by  means  of  trading  vessels. 

The  longest  step  between  Norway  and  Amer- 
ica is  the  distance  from  Norway  to  Iceland.  The 
next  step  is  to  Greenland,  which,  at  the  nearest 

point,  is  less  than  half  the  former  distance,  and 
13 


194  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

to  Cape  Farewell,  the  southern  extremity  of 
Greenland,  the  distance  must  be  about  the  same, 
and  thence  to  this  continent  the  distance  is  in 
fact  less  than  from  Norway  to  Iceland,  though 
to  Newfoundland  it  would  be  greater. 

The  vessels  in  use  at  that  time  in  Norway 
were  capable  of  riding  very  boisterous  seas, 
although  more  under  the  influence  of  contrary 
winds  than  the  improved  rig  of  modern  times. 

Very  soon  after  the  settlement  of  Iceland, 
manners  who  had  been  driven  from  their  course 
by  adverse  winds  reported  land  to  the  west  of 
Iceland,  and  Erick  the  Red,  near  the  close  of 
the  tenth  century,  sailed  westward  from  Iceland 
in  search  of  a  new  country,  which  he  found  and 
named  Greenland,  in  order  to  attract  settlers. 
Here  an  independent  colony  was  established, 
still  republican  in  form,  which  maintained  its 
independence  for  more  than  three  hundred  years. 

The  Icelandic  records,  which  were  simulta- 
neously reduced  to  writing  and  were  not  depend- 
ent upon  the  memory  of  man,  as  had  been  the 
previous  history,  tell  us  that  in  986  Bjarn,  the 
son  of  Herjulf,  in  prosecuting  a  voyage  from 
Iceland  to  join  his  father  in  Greenland,  whither 
he  had  gone  in  company  with  Erick  the  Red, 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  195 

was  driven  from  his  course  by  a  violent  north 
wind,  which  forced  him  a  long  way  south  into 
the  Atlantic,  during  which  he  was  much  of  the 
time  enveloped  in  dense  fogs. 

When  the  storm  abated  and  the  fog  lifted,  he 
saw  to  the  west  a  level  wooded  coast,  but  not 
observing  the  snow-clad  mountains  characteristic 
of  Greenland  he  refused  to  land,  and  bore  away 
to  the  northeast.  After  a  few  days'  sail  he  again 
discovered  a  similar  coast,  and  again  after  a  few 
days  more  similar  land  was  seen  on  his  left, 
which,  for  the  same  reason,  he  passed  by,  and, 
pressed  forward  by  a  strong  southwest  wind, 
sighted  the  snow  mountains  of  Greenland,  which 
told  him  it  was  the  land  of  his  destination. 

Now  the  direction  of  the  wind  which  drove 
him  from  his  course,  and  the  dense  fog  which  he 
encountered,  strongly  indicate  that  he  must  have 
passed  near  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland ;  and 
the  course,  and  time  occupied  in  making  his 
way  back  before  favorable  winds,  and  the 
description  of  the  land  which  he  saw,  have  led 
those  who  have  studied  the  subject  to  conclude 
that  the  first  land  Bjarn  saw  was  the  New  Eng- 
land coast,  probably  even  south  of  Boston,  the 


196  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

second  Nova  Scotia,  and  the  third  Newfound- 
land. 

When  Bjarn  returned  to  Iceland  he  told  this 
story,  and  it  was  recorded  at  the  time,  and  bears 
the  marks  of  authentic  history  as  much  as  the 
records  of  contemporaneous  events  in  other 
countries  which  are  accepted  as  authentic.  Sub- 
sequent events  proved  their  truth. 

This  account  of  Bjarn  produced  a  sensation, 
not  only  in  Greenland  and  Iceland,  but  in  Nor- 
way also,  to  which  country  he  returned  a  few 
years  later,  producing  in  others  a  desire  to  know 
more  of  the  land  which  he  had  seen  at  a  distance. 
So  Leif,  son  of  Erick  the  Red,  fitted  out  an 
expedition  with  the  same  ship  which  he  pur- 
chased, and  thirty-five  resolute  men,  and  sailed 
in  the  way  whence  Bjarn  had  returned,  and  in 
due  time  sighted  Newfoundland,  where  he  landed 
and  explored  the  country,  and  then  proceeded 
further  and  landed  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  then 
prosecuted  his  voyage  further  south  along  the 
trend  of  the  coast,  and  finally  landed  on  the 
New  England  coast,  where  they  finally  took  up 
their  winter  quarters  and  built  a  house  for  their 
protection.  Here  they  found  an  abundance  of 
wild  grapes  of  an  excellent  quality> ,  and  hence 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  197 

named  it  VINLAND.  These  winter  quarters  are 
supposed  to  have  been  located  on  the  Massa- 
chusetts coast,  somewhere  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Fall  River. 

After  the  winter  was  passed,  which  much 
surprised  the  Norwegians  by  the  length  of  the 
days,  the  sun  being  above  the  horizon  for  nine 
hours  at  the  shortest,  while  in  their  northern 
home  the  night  was  scarcely  broken  by  the  sun 
at  noonday,  this  first  expedition  which  landed 
on  American  soil  re-embarked,  and  returned  to 
spread  the  marvelous  news  among  their  country- 
men. 

Thus  in  the  very  year  in  which  Olaf  Trygg- 
veson  ended  his  brilliant  career  on  the  decks 
of  the  Long  Serpent,  where  he  lost  his  crown 
and  his  life  together,  his  countrymen  made  the 
discovery  of  this  great  continent,  where  great 
nations  have  sprung  up,  and  are  still  growing 
with  marvelous  rapidity ;  where  we  boast  of  a 
freedom  not  known  since  the  overthrow  of  their 
own  democracies ;  where  science  and  art  and 
civilization  are  marching  in  unison  with  the 
advance  of  the  old  world ;  and  where  the  bund 
and  the  scholars  of  Norway  accept  the  invitation 
held  out  to  all  to  come  and  share  the  fortunes, 


198  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

and  help  build  up  and  support  the  institutions 
of  the  country  which  their  ancestors  first  dis- 
covered. 

In  my  judgment  it  is  a  well-established  his- 
torical fact  that  in  the  year  1000  Leif  Erikson, 
with  his  party  of  thirty-five  men,  actually  landed 
upon  the  American  soil  and  spent  the  winter 
here.  In  all  probability  he  was  the  first  white 
man  who  ever  placed  foot  on  American  soil. 

The  next  year  after  Leif's  return  from  Vin- 
land  (1002),  his  brother  Thorwald  started  with 
another  expedition,  which  landed  in  the  newly- 
discovered  country,  where  he  made  a  more  per- 
manent settlement,  for  they  remained  three  years, 
but  in  a  battle  with  the  natives  the  leader  was 
killed  by  an  arrow,  and  was  the  first  of  Euro- 
pean blood  to  find  a  burial-place  beneath  Amer- 
ican sod.  In  1831  the  remains  of  an  European 
were  exhumed  on  the  Massachusetts  coast,  which 
were  believed  by  many  to  be  those  of  the  Sea 
King  there  buried  more  than  eight  hundred  years 
before.  The  armor  found  on  the  skeleton  cor- 
responded both  in  pattern  and  composition  with 
those  worn  by  the  Norsemen  at  that  time. 

After  the  death  of  their  leader  the  party  left 
the  country  and  returned  to  Greenland. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  199 

The  last  expedition  which  I  will  mention,  was 
undertaken  by  Thorfinn  Karlsefne  in  1007.  It 
was  more  elaborate  and  complete  than  any  of 
the  preceding,  and  evidently  designed  for  per- 
manent colonization.  It  was  composed  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty-one  men  and  seven  women, 
one  of  whom  was  Gudrid,  the  wife  of  the  dis- 
tinguished leader,  and  she  appears  to  have  been 
a  woman  of  great  enterprise  and  resolution,  and 
had  used  all  her  influence  to  induce  her  husband 
to  the  enterprise.  They  took  with  them  a  con- 
siderable colonial  outfit,  including  implements 
and  domestic  animals,  and  goods  to  trade  with 
the  natives. 

After  a  prosperous  voyage  they  too  landed 
on  the  Massachusetts  coast,  and  there  planted 
the  new  colony. 

In  the  year  following,  Gudrid  gave  birth  to  a 
son,  whom  she  named  Snorre.  Many  of  his 
descendants  became  distinguished  for  their  learn- 
ing and  genius,  and  it  is  confidently  asserted 
that  the  immortal  Thorwaldsen  was  a  lineal 
descendant  of  this  first  European  born  on  Amer- 
ican soil. 

Indian  hostilities,  which  they  were  too  feeble 
to  resist,  compelled  Thorfinn,  at  the  end  of  three 


200  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

years,  to  break  up  his  colony,  and  with  his  enter- 
prising wife  and  new-born  heir,  return  to  Green- 
land. 

The  inscription  on  the  Tonulon  rock,  is  inter- 
preted to  give  an  account  of  this  expedition,  and 
to  corroborate  the  explicit  account  of  the  Saga 
which  preserves  its  history. 

I  will  not  stop  to  particularize  several  other 
expeditions  of  the  Northmen,  of  which  accounts 
are  given  in  cotemporary  Sagas,  extending  down 
to  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth  century,  the  last 
one  being  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  years 
before  the  discovery  of  the  new  world  by  Colum- 
bus. These  enterprises  extended  the  whole  length 
of  our  Atlantic  coast  as  far  south  at  least  as  Fer- 
nandina  in  Florida. 

Let  no  one  turn  away  with  incredulity,  because 
they  are  not  as  familiar  with  the  accounts  of 
these  great  discoveries  by  the  ancient  Norwe- 
gians as  they  are  with  the  more  recent  discovery 
by  the  Genoese  navigator.  Let  the  reader  not 
condemn  them  as  fables,  at  least  till  he  can  find 
one  man  of  learning  who  has  carefully  and  impar- 
tially examined  these  ancient  records,  and  ex- 
presses a  doubt  of  their  authenticity.  So  long 
as  all  those  who  have  examined  them,  and  who 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  201 

are  capable  of  judging,  accept  them  as  authentic, 
it  illy  becomes  us  to  reject  them  as  mere  fiction. 
For  myself,  I  frankly  say  I  believe  in  their  verity, 
and  have  no  doubt  that  we  are  indebted  to  the 
North  and  not  to  the  South  for  the  first  discov- 
ery of  this  great  land. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


GARDENS  AND  GRASS  AT  BOSEKOP;  COPPER  MINE  AT  KAAFJORD; 
LEAVE  BOSEKOP;  CHRISTENING  AND  CONFIRMATION  PILGRIMS; 
FOURTH  OF  JULY  ON  THE  STEAMER;  MISS  THE  STARS  AND 
STRIPES;  MEET  FRIENDS  AT  OXFJORD;  THE  VOYAGE  SOUTH; 
CHANGED  ASPECT  PRODUCED  BY  SUMMER;  TROMSO ;  CONTESTED 
LODGINGS;  LAPLANDER  ENCAMPMENTS;  HERDS  OF  REINDEER; 
ARRANGE  FOR  A  VISIT;  THE  TRIP  BY  WATER;  RATHER  COM- 
ICAL LANDING. 

WHILE  at  Bosekop,  the  people  were  just 
making  their  gardens,  and  there,  on  the 
third  of  July,  in  a  garden  which  had  been  planted 
to  potatoes,  I  found  one  plant  only  which  was 
just  breaking  ground,  and  yet  they  expected  that 
crop  to  mature  during  the  remnant  of  the  short 
summer  which  remained.  The  only  cereal  which 
is  there  sown  is  barley,  and  the  product  of  that 
grain  is  limited  and  confined  to  the  most  favored 
places,  as  the  valley  of  the  Alten.  But  even 
there  grass  is  more  to  be  depended  upon  and  is 
more  remunerative.  I  saw  more  cattle  there 
than  in  all  other  places  in  arctic  Norway  com- 
bined. Bosekop  is  a  famous  starting  point  for  a 
passage  over  the  mountains  to  Tornea,  at  the 

head  of  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia. 

(203) 


204  A  SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

At  Bosekop  we  could  see  the  smoke  of  the 
furnace  at  the  copper  mines  of  Kaafjord,  which 
are  situated  on  an  arm  of  the  bay  before  us 
ten  miles  away,  and  are  hid  by  a  promontory 
which  intervenes. 

After  we  had  finished  our  proposed  stay  at 
Bosekop  we  bade  it  farewell,  and  again  went  on 
board  the  little  steamer  which  had  brought  us 
from  Hammerfest.  We  steamed  directly  across 
the  bay  for  the  copper  mines.  Our  stay  here 
was  short,  but  long  enough  to  see  that  it  is  a 
very  pretty  place,  situate  on  a  pretty,  broad 
declivity,  covered  with  a  rich  carpet  of  green 
grass,  broken  with  garden  patches  already  planted, 
and  some  stunted  trees  which  served  for  orna- 
mental purposes. 

We  only  tarried  here  long  enough  to  land  a 
few  passengers,  and  to  take  on  board  almost  the 
entire  population  of  the  place,  including  men, 
women  and  children,  but  excluding  the  dogs, 
which  must  have  been  left  to  guard  the  deserted 
homes. 

The  little  steamer  was  absolutely  crammed 
full ;  every  available  foot  of  standing  room  where 
steerage  passengers  were  allowed  was  occupied, 
and  the  concert  of  infantile  music  was  truly 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  205 

refreshing.  All  seemed  in  fine  spirits,  as  if 
going  to  a  fair,  a  show  or  a  picnic.  Their 
gaiety,  however,  was  not  increased  by  a  smart 
shower  of  rain,  which  came  pouring  down  upon 
us  so  soon  as  we  had  rounded  to  and  resumed 
our  course.  The  women  with  children  were 
mostly  got  under  cover,  by  turning  out  in  the 
rain  others  not  so  blessed,  who  seemed  not  to 
admire  the  situation  when  they  first  met  the 
falling  shower.  They,  however,  made  the  best 
of  it,  and  appeared  to  be  cracking  jokes  about 
it  with  their  friends  similarly  situated.  They 
were  not  dry  jokes  at  least,  but  whether  they 
were  witty  or  not  I  could  not  understand.  I 
inquired  of  the  first  officer  what  was  the  occasion 
of  so  great  a  turn  out,  and  how  far  they  were 
to  go  with  us,  and  learned  they  were  only  going 
to  the  next  hamlet  to  a  christening  and  confir- 
mation, which  was  a  satisfactory  explanation  of 
the  multitude  of  babies  and  of  youths  we  had 
on  board.  The  latter  were  as  jolly  and  frolic- 
some as  the  space  would  admit,  the  former  were 
—  no  matter;  we  were  all  children  once,  and  no 
doubt  gave  our  mothers  and  nurses  a  great  deal 
of  trouble,  and  certainly  these  did  no  more. 
We  skirted  along  the  westerly  shore  of  the 


206  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

bay,  very  near  to  the  headlands  which  jutted  out 
into  the  water,  showing  that  the  shores  were 
bold,  and  giving  us  an  opportunity  to  admire 
the  snug  little  green  nooks,  all  occupied  with  the 
inevitable  red  earth-covered  cabin,  and  a  snug 
garden  spot  around  it,  testifying  to  industry  and 
contentment. 

Finally  the  whistle  sounded,  and  we  soon 
rounded  a  point  which  brought  into  view  the 
little  hamlet  of  Talvick,  with  its  neat  little  white 
church,  situated  a  short  distance  apart  from  the 
cluster  of  red  houses  —  it  is  a  universal  custom 
in  Norway  to  set  the  church  on  one  side — while 
all  around  looked  cheerful  and  refreshing.  A 
large  number  of  boats  were  pulling  out  from 
the  dock,  to  take  off  the  multitude  we  had 
brought  from  Kaafjord,  while  the  pier  was  black 
with  the  inhabitants  of  the  place,  come  down  to 
welcome  their  friends ;  so  it  was  manifest  they 
were  expected,  and  everything  testified  that  all 
considered  the  coming  event  an  important  one. 

We  lay  too  far  out  to  enable  me  to  distin- 
guish the  pastor  among  his  expectant  flock,  but 
he  was  no  doubt  there,  unless  some  custom 
rendered  that  unusual.  The  boats  came  not  in 
the  usual  way  for  fares,  but  each  one  seemed  to 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  207 

seek  out  friends  and  take  them  on  board  with  a 
welcome  greeting,  and  those  who  had  not  friends 
to  come  for  them  waited  till  the  last,  and  then 
went  on  shore  by  the  boats  which  returned  for 
strangers.  This  landing  occupied  some  time,  but 
at  last  all  were  gone,  and  we  resumed  our  voyage. 

This  day  was  the  fourth  of  July,  1874,  and 
we  shall  never  cease  to  lament  that  we  had  no 
American  flag  to  place  over  our  heads.  Let  no 
one  ever  travel  into  foreign  lands  without  taking 
along  the  stars  and  stripes,  for  he  will  surely 
meet  with  times  when  the  sight  of  it  will  warm 
his  heart  and  do  him  good. 

I  remember  once  when  I  had  climbed  the  last 
rock  on  the  top  of  a  mountain  which  overlooked 
the  port  of  Nice,  when  the  first  thing  I  saw 
on  looking  down  was  the  Colorado,  with  our 
national  flag  floating  over  her.  She  was  so  far 
away  that  she  looked  no  larger  than  a  canoe, 
and  the  flag  no  larger  than  one's  hand,  but  that 
sight  filled  me  with  a  great  joy,  and  I  shouted 
huzzas  so  loud  and  so  often  repeated  that  my 
companions,  who  were  slowly  climbing  after  me, 
were  alarmed,  and  hastened  on ;  but  when  they 
came  they  shouted  too,  and  right  then  and  there 
we  had  a  right  good  jollification. 


208  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

And  now  I  had  gone  again  without  the  flag, 
and  deeply  reproached  myself  for  the  neglect.  I 
longed  for  one,  though  no  larger  than  a  glove, 
and  we  sympathized  together  that  we  had  it  not, 
and  yet  afterwards,  when  unpacking  her  trunk, 
one  of  the  ladies  found  a  flag  which,  though  but 
a  toy,  would  have  then  been  held  above  all 
price.  Well,  for  all  that,  we  had  a  good  time, 
and  celebrated  our  nation's  natal  day  with  pa- 
triotic toasts  and  speeches  which  made  the 
strangers  look  and  wonder  what  could  possess 
us  four  to  make  so  much  fuss,  but  our  inter- 
preter explained  the  cause,  when  they  seemed 
satisfied  that,  at  least,  the  boat  was  not  in  danger. 

I  do  not  know  at  what  hour  our  celebration 
closed,  but  I  do  know  that  we  went  to  our  bunks 
and  got  a  good  sleep,  and  when  we  awakened 
in  the  morning  we  found  we  were  at  anchor  in 
Oxfjord,  where  we  lay  till  the  Hakon-Jarl  came 
from  the  north  and  dropped  alongside,  and  we 
were  transferred  to  the  latter  steamer,  where  we 
found  our  friends  with  whom  we  had  parted 
when  we  left  the  steamer  at  Hammerfest,  and 
who  had  gone  on  to  visit  the  North  Cape  and 
beyond,  an  account  of  which  as  received  from 
them  I  have  already  related. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  209 

So  soon  as  the  transfer  was  completed,  we 
waived  an  adieu  to  the  officers  of  the  little 
coaster  and  some  traveling  acquaintances  who 
had  gone  north  designing  to  make  an  overland 
journey  to  Bothney  from  the  North  Cape,  but 
finding  the  route  impracticable,  were  now  bound 
to  Bosekop  with  the  design  to  make  the  pas- 
sage from  there,  but  they  afterwards  overtook 
us  at  Dombaas,  the  first  station  after  we  crossed 
the  Dover-fjeld,  and  reported  that  all  the 
guides  refused  to  undertake  the  journey,  which 
they  declared  to  be  absolutely  impracticable, 
because  of  the  high  waters  from  the  melting 
snow  on  the  mountains,  which,  in  ordinary  sea- 
sons, would  have  run  down  at  least  a  month 
before ;  so  they  reluctantly  gave  up  the  expe- 
dition, and  turned  south  to  console  themselves 
with  the  fine  scenery  in  southwestern  Norway. 

When  the  last  adieus  were  said,  our  whistle 
sounded,  the  steam  was  let  on,  and  we  gaily 
moved  away  on  our  return  to  the  south. 

So  soon  as  we  got  back  on  our  former  route, 
and  found  ourselves  among  scenes  somewhat 
familiar,  we  were  struck  with  the  change  which 
had  taken  place  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  in  .so 
short  a  time.  Hills  and  mountain-sides,  which, 


210  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

when  we  passed  up,  appeared  entirely  barren 
and  like  naked  rocks,  seemed  now  covered  with 
a  rich  verdure,  grazed  by  flocks  of  goats  and 
sheep,  and  sometimes  by  little  ponies  or  stunted 
cows,  where  broken  rocks  and  deep  black  boul- 
ders alone  were  seen  before.  The  gardens,  too, 
around  the  fisher-huts,  seemed  now  completed, 
and  the  snow-banks  which  had  rested  against 
the  inclosing  walls,  were  now  gone  or  much 
diminished.  Nature  seemed  to  have  awakened 
from  her  long  sleep,  and  to  have  aroused  her- 
self to  gigantic  efforts  to  complete  her  work  if 
possible  in  the  short  summer  allotted  there. 
The  scenery  was  less  dark  and  forbidding  than 
it  had  seemed  before.  If  then  the  scene  seemed 
to  wear  a  forbidding  frown,  it  smiled  a  welcome 
now.  Some  streamlets  down  the  mountain-sides, 
which  came  from  the  high  snow-capped  mount- 
ains away  above  the  clouds,  were  now  increased 
to-  tumbling  torrents,  and  in  fleecy  foam  came 
leaping  to  the  rocky  beach,  or  plunged  in  head- 
long fury  into  the  deep,  still  waters  which  laved 
the  steep  rocks  that  bound  them ;  while  others, 
which  had  come  from  nearer  sources  and  then 
looked  like  a  chalk-line  down  the  precipice,  were 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  211 

now  faded  and  gone,  for  their  fountains  had 
melted  away  and  they  were  dried  up. 

In  the  afternoon  clouds  gathered,  and  in  the 
evening  —  I  mean  the  latter  part  of  the  day 
when  in  other  lands  it  would  be  evening  —  the 
rain  began  to  fall,  not  violently,  but  gently, 
enough,  however,  to  make  out-door  watching 
disagreeable  and  to  send  us  to  the  cabin. 

We  reached  Tromso  a  little  before  midnight, 
and  as  usual  were  surrounded  by  boats  seek- 
ing fares  so  soon  as  the  anchor  was  let  go. 

Although  we  had  already  engaged  our  rooms 
on  shore,  we  would  have  gladly  staid  on  board 
till  morning,  in  the  hope  of  better  weather  for 
the  landing,  but  as  all  the  cabin  passengers  were 
to  land  at  Tromso,  they  had  determined  on  the 
boat  to  take  this  opportunity  to  clean  up  —  a 
resolution  I  could  not  help  commending ;  so  go 
on  shore  we  must,  and  so  we  did.  Our  inter- 
preter soon  selected  a  boat  for  our  use  and  got 
the  baggage  on  board,  when  we  followed  in  the 
rain,  and  after  a  pull  of  half  a  mile  we  were 
landed  at  the  steps  of  a  dock  and  were  shown 
the  way  to  our  hotel,  which  we  had  to  reach 
on  foot,  encountering  some  muddy  roads  on 
the  way.  The  front-door  of  the  hotel  we  found 


212  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

to  be  a  back-door,  entering  through  a  narrow, 
muddy  lane. 

Another  person  had  hastened  on  before  us, 
and  claimed  to  have  engaged  the  rooms  on  the 
way  up,  and  so  had  been  admitted  on  the  strength 
of  our  previous  engagement,  and  had  gone  back 
for  the  party  and  baggage ;  but  when  the  shal- 
low trick  was  explained,  we  were  admitted  to 
our  rights  and  took  possession  and  went  to  bed, 
and  refused  after  to  be  dispossessed. 

It  is  the  custom  in  this  country  to  take 
formal  possession  of  apartments  at  a  hotel,  or 
a  state-room  or  berth  on  a  steamer,  by  writing 
the  name  on  a  card  or  piece  of  paper  and 
placing  it  in  the  room  or  berth ;  and  so  the 
party  had  done  in  this  case,  but  I  found  a  more 
substantial  possession  —  an  actual  pedis  possessio 
more  effective  and  reliable,  and  I  confess  I  felt 
as  if  it  would  have  taken  half  of  Norway  to 
have  put  me  out  of  that  room.  The  good 
woman  of  the  house,  who  had  been  innocently 
beguiled  into  the  embarrassing  situation,  was 
sorely  perplexed,  and  was  greatly  relieved  when 
the  false  claimant  finally  darkened  her  door  for 
the  last  time. 

The    most    notable     event    of    our    tarry    at 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  213 

Tromso  was  our  visit  to  a  Lapp  encampment, 
and  an  inspection  of  a  band  of  reindeer.  Sev- 
eral wealthy  Lapps  have  their  summer  encamp- 
ments in  the  neighborhood  of  Tromso. 

One  extraordinary  habit  of  the  domestic  rein- 
deer is  that  they  have  an  irresistible  impulse  to 
seek  the  coast  in  the  summer  season,  which  the 
owner  does  not  attempt  to  oppose.  They  take 
up  the  line  of  march  from  the  highlands  to  the 
coast  voluntarily  when  the  advancement  of  the 
season  has  made  a  certain  progress  —  usually 
in  June,  but  in  very  backward  seasons  this  is 
delayed  till  July.  If  the  owner  cannot  resist 
this  impulse,  he  can  at  least  control  it  so  as  to 
direct  them  to  such  point  on  the  coast  as  he 
may  choose ;  and  this  has  led  to  the  establish- 
ment of  these  permanent  summer  camps.  As 
this  impulse  of  the  animal  is  contrary  to  what 
we  should  expect,  and  prompts  them  to  avoid 
the  high  and  colder  regions  and  seek  the  warm- 
est in  the  warmest  weather,  several  authors  and 
travelers  have  been  misled,  probably  by  their 
inference  as  to  what  should  be,  and  have  stated 
that  these  deer  seek  the  cool  highlands  in  sum- 
mer and  the  coast  in  the  winter,  and  that  too 
when  they  actually  saw  large  herds  of  the  deer 


214  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

on  the  coast  in  the  summer.  Sir  John  Richard- 
son states  that  substantially  the  same  habit  is 
observed  in  the  woodland  caribou  of  America, 
in  his  fauna  Bariola  Americana,  page  250.  He 
there  informs  us  that  this  caribou  emigrates 
north  in  fall  and  south  in  the  spring.  These 
two  animals  have  the  same  specific  indicia,  with 
no  more  variation  than  may  serve  to  separate 
them  as  varieties,  having  regard,  however,  to 
modifications  consequent  on  domestication,  and 
even  this  is  almost  entirely  confined  to  color. 
That  the  domestic  and  the  wild  reindeer  of 
Lapland  are  of  the  same  species,  no  naturalist 
has  ever  suggested  a  doubt,  and  the  wild  rein- 
deer of  Europe  is  as  constant  in  color  as  the 
caribou  of  America 

I  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  remark 
this  extraordinary  habit  in  both  the  European 
and  American  varieties,  which  I  am  not  aware 
is  observed  in  any  other  animal.  The  same 
learned  author  tells  us,  at  pages  242-3,  that  this 
habit  is  reversed  in  the  little  barren-ground  car- 
ibou of  North  America,  and  that  it  emigrates  to 
the  north  in  the  summer  and  to  the  south  in 
the  winter. 

The  northern  limits  of    the  range  of  one  and 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  215 

the  southern  limits  of  that  of  the  other  are  in  the 
neighborhood  of  York  Factory,  on  the  Hudson's 
Bay,  and  scarcely  overlap  each  other  by  a  single 
degree.  These  contrary  habits  must  necessarily 
bring  them  together,  near  this  dividing  line,  in 
the  fall  or  winter  time,  and  yet  they  never  inter- 
mingle socially  or  interlineally.  But  I  must  not 
be  betrayed  into  a  discussion  on  the  natural  his- 
tory of  these  animals  here,  more  than  is  befitting 
my  present  undertaking. 

One  of  these  summer  Lapp  encampments  is 
situate  opposite  to,  and  about  four  miles  from, 
Tromso,  and  is  much  visited  by  travelers,  and 
there  the  deer  have  their  regular  reception  days, 
I  understood,  twice  a  week.  This  I  expected  to 
visit,  and  was  sadly  disappointed  to  learn  that 
the  deer  had  not  yet  reached  the  coast,  owing 
to  the  lateness  of  the  season.  Fortunately  for 
us,  Mr.  Hanson,  a  native  of  Tromso,  but  who 
had  been  a  resident  of  Chicago  for  many  years, 
had  heard  of  our  coming,  and  met  us  on  the 
steamer  on  our  arrival,  and  by  his  constant 
kindness  and  attentions,  showed  that  during  his 
long  residence  in  America  he  had  lost  nothing 
of  that  courtesy  and  hospitality  so  characteristic 
of  his  countrymen  at  home. 


216  A   SUMMER  IN  NOR W 'AY. 

He  knew  or  found  a  photographer  in  town 
who  spoke  the  Lapp  language  and  was  an  ora- 
cle among  that  people.  He  knew  of  a  Lapp 
encampment,  eight  or  ten  miles  up  the  bay, 
where  the  reindeer  had  already  reached  their 
summer  range.  A  bargain  was  soon  concluded 
with  him,  for  five  dollars,  to  go  to  the  camp 
next  day  and  make  arrangements  with  the  Lapp 
to  drive  down  a  band  of  the  deer  on  the  day 
following  for  our  inspection,  and  to  go  with  us 
to  act  as  interpreter  and  assist  us  in  any  other 
way  required.  Early  the  next  morning  he  re- 
ported the  arrangement  completed. 

About  nine  o'clock  we  found  ourselves  seated 
in  a  comfortable  boat,  with  Mr.  Hanson  and  our 
interpreter,  bound  for  the  show.  As  there  was 
no  wind  on  the  start,  we  had  to  depend  on  the 
oars,  .which  were  pulled  by  two  lusty  men,  and 
we  made  good  progress.  A  breeze  sprung  up, 
the  sails  were  set,  and  we  glided  along  over  the 
dancing  waters  in  a  merry  mood.  We  passed 
an  island  on  the  way  which  is  a  famous  nesting- 
place  for  the  eider-duck,  where  several  were  now 
sitting,  near  the  hut,  with  as  little  apprehension 
as  would  be  shown  by  the  domestic  fowl.  We 
arranged  to  stop  here  on  our  return.  When  we 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  217 

reached  the  head  of  the  bay  the  tide  was  down, 
so  we  could  not  enter  the  little  creek  which 
there  puts  in,  and  had  to  effect  a  landing  on 
the  shore  outside.  The  water  was  very  shallow, 
and  the  bottom  and  the  shore  were  strewn  with 
boulders  which  were  wet  and  covered  with  moss 
and  sea-weeds,  and  very  slippery.  The  boat  was 
run  toward  the  shore  till  she  grounded  in  a 
foot  of  water  or  more,  with  a  width  of  fifty  feet 
of  water  still  before  us. 

Our  boatmen,  with  their  long  fishing-boots,  de- 
liberately stepped  into  the  water  and  announced 
that  we  must  be  packed  the  rest  of  the  way. 
Doubtful  looks  were  exchanged  among  us,  but 
no  time  was  to  be  lost,  for  already  the  reindeer 
were  seen  making  their  way  through  the  bushes 
down  the  side  of  the  hill.  All  conceded  preced- 
ence to  me,  and  even  insisted  that  I  was  enti- 
tled to,  it ;  and  well  they  might,  even  from  other 
considerations  than  seniority,  for  if  two  hundred 
and  forty  pounds  should  be  safely  landed,  the 
lighter  weights  might  fear  no  harm.  I  must  not 
hesitate,  so  I  called  for  a  man,  and  the  most 
powerful  of  the  two  boatmen  backed  up  and  I 
got  upon  his  back  and  clung  about  his  neck, 
drawing  my  feet  as  well  up  as  possible.  At  first 


218  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

he  staggered  a  little,  and  as  the  stones  were 
very  slippery,  I  confess  to  some  fears  that  I 
might  get  a  ducking,  but  he  soon  settled  down 
to  his  work  admirably,  and  with  slow  and  sure 
steps  safely  reached  dry  ground.  He  heaved  a 
sigh  of  relief  when  I  alighted,  and  then  returned 
for  another.  When  all  had  left  the  boat  except 
one  of  the  young  ladies,  the  youngest  of  the 
boatmen,  a  fine  strapping  lad,  who  was  fresh,  for 
he  had  lifted  none  yet,  evidently  disgusted  at 
seeing  all  'the  ladies  carried  away  by  the  seniors, 
stepped  up  with  alacrity  and  took  the  last  in  his 
arms,  with  an  evident  determination  to  do  or  to 
die.  He  did  do,  and  I  suspect  nearly  died  too. 
She  was  a  solid  lump  of  femininity  and  evi- 
dently heavier  than  he  bargained  for.  He  stag- 
gered the  first  step,  and  I  called  to  M to 

be  sure  and  keep  the  youth  underside  if  they 
did  go  down.  She  felt  the  danger  and  was  rest- 
less, which  but  embarrassed  the  lad  the  more. 
However,  he  held  fast  to  his  load  and  righted 
himself,  then  took  a  cautious  step,  and  then"  braced 
himself  for  another.  His  face  looked  like  a 
piece  of  mica  before  a  sea-coal  fire,  and  so  he 
struggled  on  till  he  reached  a  big  stone  near 
the  edge  of  the  water,  when  he  could  hold  out 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  219 

no  longer,  and  was  staggering  to  fall.  Frantic 
gestures  with  hands  and  feet  were  according  to 
no  fixed  rules,  but  by  a  dexterous  movement  she 
got  upon  the  rock,  from  which  she  got  to  dry 
land  without  wet  feet  or  serious  trouble.  Of 
course  we  managed  to  get  a  hearty  laugh  from 
the  incident,  and  as  we  thought  we  laughed  in 
English  we  hoped  the  young  Norwegian  would 
not  understand  it,  but  he  did,  and  I  may  here 
say  that  the  first  thing  in  English  a  foreigner 
can  understand  is  a  good  hearty  laugh,  especially 
if  it  is  supposed  to  be  at  his  expense. 


WILD   EUROPEAN    REINDEER  — MALE. 


CHAPTER    XV. 


THE  ENCAMPMENT;  THE  REINDEER  AND  THE  LAPLAND  HERDERS; 
SPECIAL  INVESTIGATION  OF  THE  HABITS  OF  THE  ANIMAL; 
THEIR  KEEPING,  AND  USES;  THEIR  BREEDING  AND  NATURAL 
INSTINCTS;  LONG  CONVERSATION  WITH  THE  HERDERS;  COM- 
PARED WITH  OTHER  BRANCHES  OF  THE  DEER  FAMILY;  DOMES- 
TICATION; THE  VALUE  OF  THE  MILK;  LAPLAND  CHEESE;  THE 
NATURAL  FOOD  OF  THE  REINDEER;  THE  UNIVERSALITY  OF  THE 
MOSS  WHERE  THE  REINDEER  ARE  FOUND. 

ALL  being  safely  landed,  we  picked  our  way 
across  the  slimy  stones  which,  at  high  tide, 
are  covered  by  the  water,  and  went  through  a 
piece  of  marshy  ground  partly  covered  with 
shrubs,  to  an  elevated  place  commanding  an  ex- 
tended view,  and  watched  the  herd  of  deer  which 
was  coming  down  toward  us. 

When  they  were  collected  together,  to  the 
number  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty,  upon 
some  flat,  naked  rocks  near  the  water,  we  were 
directed  to  proceed  to  the  inspection.  We  had 
gone  but  a  few  steps  directly  toward  them  when 
the  old  Lapp,  the  owner,  set  up  a  great  outcry 
and  sent  a  boy  up  to  us  in  a  rush  with  a  mes- 
sage, as  explained  by  the  interpreter,  that  if  we 

(221) 


222  A    SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

approached  them  from  that  direction  they  would 
smell  us  before  they  would  see  us,  when  all 
would  rush  away  to  the  mountains  at  once. 

It  was  not,  I  admit,  considered  compliment- 
ary, that  our  odor  was  more  frightful  than  that 
of  the  Lapps,  but  then  we  consoled  ourselves 
that  tastes  are  quite  artificial,  and  if  man  can 
learn  to  prefer  tobacco  to  an  orange,  a  reindeer 
should  be  excused  for  preferring  the  odor  of  a 
Lapp  to  that  of — well,  our  party.  But  it  was 
no  time  to  criticise  tastes,  so  we  submitted  to 
be  led  a  long  way  round  to  the  leeward  of  the 
deer,  when  we  turned  directly  toward  them  and 
in  full  view. 

Most  of  the  band  had  lain  down,  no  doubt 
being  fatigued  with  the  morning's  drive.  The 
owner,  and  his  good  lady  Lapp,  with  some  of 
the  herdsmen,  were  right  among  them  talking  in 
a  soft  and  soothing  way  which  no  doubt  the 
beasts  understood  but  we  did  not.  Led  by  our 
young  Lapp  we  approached  very  slowly  and  soon 
found  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  the  flock  with- 
out any  alarm. 

About  one  half  were  females,  most  of  which 
had  fawns  by  their  sides  a  month  or  two  old. 
These  were  more  shy  than  the  males,  no  doubt 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  223 

from  solicitude  for  their  young,  and  most  of 
them  got  up  and  moved  off  a  little  way  as  we 
approached,  still  without  being  frightened,  though 
at  first  they  looked  at  us  quite  earnestly.  They 
were  parti-colored,  and  indeed  of  all  colors, 
though  the  dark  brown,  the  color  of  the  wild 
deer,  predominated,  or  rather  there  were  more  of 
that  color  than  any  other.  The  departure  from 
the  native  tended  more  to  white  than  to  darker 
colors ;  though  there  were  very  few,  if  any,  abso- 
lutely white,  still  quite  a  number  were  nearly  so, 
the  invading  colors  of  brown,  black  or  russet  being 
generally  observed  on  the  hinder  part  of  the 
back  or  rump.  Some  were  fairly  black,  but  these 
were  few.  Some  were  partly  black  and  partly 
brown  russet,  or  white,  or  perhaps  all,  and  yet 
none  were  spotted,  as  we  see  our  cattle  spotted, 
with  well  defined  margins  to  the  different  colors, 
but  the  colors  were  confluent,  so  that  portions 
would  be  gray  or  roan. 

The  fawns  were  like  the  adults,  of  various 
colors,  so  that  it  may  be  safely  assumed  that  the 
first  color  is  persistent  through  life,  only  varying 
in  shade  with  the  season  of  the  year,  the  dark 
shades  becoming  lighter  and  duller  toward 


224  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

spring.  Many  of  the  does  had  two  fawns  by 
their  sides,  but  not  a  majority. 

The  antlers  I  should  judge  were  nearly  half 
grown,  and  so  in  the  velvet,  but  those  on  the  old 
animals  were  much  more  advanced  than  on  the 
young,  thus  proving  true  to  the  universal  law 
which  governs  the  casting  and  the  growth  of  the 
antlers  of  all  the  deer  family.  The  oldest  shed 
their  antlers  first,  and  on  them  they  grow  the 
fastest  and  first  come  to  maturity. 

After  taking  a  good,  and  even  minute,  survey 
of  the  herd  as  they  lay  or  stood  around  me, 
some  of  the  bucks  not  more  than  ten  feet  distant, 
I  commenced  through  the  interpreters  an  exam- 
ination of  the  Lapp,  my  questions  being  first 
interpreted  into  Norwegian  and  then  into  Lapp, 
his  answers  also  requiring  a  double  interpretation. 
This  was  slow  work,  no  doubt,  but  the  interpret- 
ers were  intelligent  and  so  was  the  Lapp,  and 
there  were  few  points  inquired  about  of  which 
I  did  not  get  a  clear  understanding,  and  upon 
these  few  points  the  Lapp  had  no  clear  under- 
standing himself,  for  in  truth  he  had  not  ob- 
served, though  the  facts  must  have  been  open 
to  his  observation  all  his  life.  So  it  is  with  us 
all.  It  is  a  great  thing  to  learn  how  to  observe. 


WILD   EUROPEAN    REINDEER  —  FEMALE. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  225 

Some  really  important  feature  may  be  right 
before  us  for  years,  and  not  be  seen  at  all  till 
we  are  made  aware  of  its  importance ;  then  we 
see  it  and  study  it,  but  not  before. 

A  modern  newspaper  man  would  have  de- 
lighted to  have  reported  that  interview  with  the 
Lapp,  but  as  much  of  it  related  to  points  more 
important  in  a  scientific  point  of  view  than  to 
the  general  reader,  I  shall  merely  state  the  sub- 
stance of  what  I  learned  on  a  few  points  of  more 
general  interest. 

The  domesticated  reindeer  constitutes  the 
principal  subsistence  of  the  mountain  Lapps, 
still  they  have  many  other  resources,  as,  for 
instance,  fishing  in  the  streams,  the  sale  of  their 
fabrics,  the  pelts  and  meat  of  the  deer,  etc. ;  but 
they  have  an  aversion  to  agriculture,  which  they 
scarcely  ever  attempt,  unless  in  the  smallest  way. 
That  an  almost  exclusively  animal  diet  is  healthy 
for  them,  as  well  as  agreeable,  must  be  conceded. 

The  only  other  domestic  animal  which  they 
have  is  the  dog,  which  is  very  useful  in  herding 
the  deer.  They  use  the  reindeer  not  only  as  a 
beast  of  draught  but  also  as  a  beast  of  burthen, 
though  I  could  not  learn  that  they  ever  even 

trust   their    children    on    their   backs.      They  are 
'5 


226  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

only  used  as  draught  animals  in  the  winter  on  the 
snow,  when  they  are  attached  singly  to  a  light 
sledge  resembling  much  in  form  the  half  of  an 
Indian's  canoe  which  had  been  cut  in  two  in  the 
middle,  each  end  of  which  might  make  a  good 
Lapp  sledge.  The  only  harness  of  the  deer  is  a 
broad  strap  for  a  collar,  passing  around  the  neck 
of  the  animal  where  it  joins  the  shoulders,  and 
then  a  thong,  fastened  to  the  lower  part  of  the 
collar  and  thence  passing  between  the  legs  and 
under  the  belly,  is  attached  to  the  front  end  of 
the  sledge.  This  is  of  sufficient  length  to  allow 
the  deer  to  be  several  feet  in  front  of  the  sledge. 
Another  thong  is  attached  to  one  of  the  deer's 
antlers,  and  is  held  in  the  hand  of  the  driver, 
with  which  and  by  words  he  guides  him.  There 
are  no  means  by  which  the  deer  can  hold  back  the 
sledge  on  descending  ground.  This  must  be 
done  by  the  driver  alone,  with  his  heels  over  the 
sides,  or  with  some  contrivance  adapted  to  the 
purpose,  whenever  the  ground  is  so  steep  that 
the  deer  cannot  keep  out  of  the  way.  The  hind 
broad  end  of  the  sledge  is  closed  by  a  vertical 
board  sufficiently  high  to  support  the  shoulders  of 
the  driver,  who  seats  himself  flat  in  the  bottom, 
with  his  back  to  this  board,  well  muffled  up  in 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  227 

his  deerskin  suit  and  robes.  It  is  said  that  the 
reindeer  will  refuse  to  be  driven  by  any  but  a 
Lapp,  or  one  dressed  in  Lapp  costume.  However, 
as  that  is  the  only  dress  in  which  any  one  could 
comfortably  live  in  Lapland  in  winter,  this  may  be 
an  inference  rather  than  a  proved  fact,  as  it  may 
rarely  have  been  tried. 

Those  sledges  which  I  examined  were  not 
more  than  six  feet  in  length,  and  were  very  light. 
I  could  learn  of  no  instance  where  two  deer 
were  ever  harnessed  together,  nor  are  they  ever 
attached  to  wheeled  vehicles. 

One  of  the  deer  was  caught  and  a  pack  fast- 
ened on  to  illustrate  that  use  of  the  animal.  I 
should  judge  the  pack  would  weigh  perhaps 
seventy  pounds  or  less.  It  is  placed  well  for- 
ward, nearly  on  the  shoulders.  The  weight  did 
not  seem  to  oppress  him.  He  was  held  and  led 
by  a  thong  around  his  neck,  and  seemed  docile 
and  obedient,  and  was  not  frightened  by  stran- 
gers pressing  around  him.  He  allowed  me  to 
put  my  hand  on  him,  but  when  I  desired  to  pass 
it  down  his  hind  leg  he  remonstrated  by  stamp- 
ing quickly,  but  without  kicking.  In  size,  this 
deer  is  less  than  our  woodland  caribou,  with 
which  it  is  identical  in  species,  but  in  eastern 


228  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

Asia  the  domesticated  reindeer  is  a  much  larger 
and  finer  animal  than  in  Lapland,  and  closely 
resembles  in  form  and  development  our  wood- 
land caribou.  There  they  are  used  for  the  sad- 
dle by  the  Tunguses,  and  highly  prized  for  that 
purpose,  as  we  are  informed  by  Erman. 

If  the  Lapland  reindeer  is  able  to  carry  but 
a  light  pack,  numbers  make  up  the  deficiency, 
so  that  when  they  move  camp  their  impedimenta 
are  transported  without  difficulty. 

Only  the  males  are  used  as  animals  of  ser- 
vice, nor  are  these  used  when  in  a  perfect  state. 
As  with  all  the  other  species  of  this  family,  the 
adult  male  reindeer  is  apt  to  be  vicious  and 
dangerous  at  certain  seasons,  and  so  would  be 
unmanageable  and  unsafe  as  a  beast  of  labor. 
To  overcome  this  a  large  majority  of  the  males 
are  emasculated  when  they  are  three  years  of 
age.  This  is  not  done  in  the  complete  manner, 
as  observed  with  us  in  treating  our  domestic 
animals,  which  is  by  complete  amputation.  This 
the  Lapps  do  not  do.  With  them  the  opera- 
tion is  performed  by  the  teeth.  Thus  the  glands 
are  bruised  or  crushed  without  breaking  the  skin, 
and  their  capacity  for  reproduction  destroyed. 
No  other  mode  of  performing  this  operation 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  229 

has  ever  been  known  among  the  Lapps.  This 
imperfect  operation  is  probably  sufficient  for 
their  purposes,  for  it  so  subdues  the  natural 
ferocity  of  the  animal  as  to  subject  him  to  con- 
trol, while  it  leaves  enough  of  spirit  to  make 
his  services  highly  efficient.  Were  it  carried  as 
far  as  with  us  it  might  so  destroy  his  energy 
as  to  leave  him  practically  useless. 

That  the  operation  as  performed  by  them  is 
only  partial,  is  shown  by  the  limited  influence 
it  has  upon  the  growth  of  the  antlers.  So  far 
as  experiments  have  been  tried  on  the  other 
members  of  this  family,  the  complete  removal 
of  the  glands  causes  the  antlers  carried  at  the 
time  to  drop  off  within  a  few  weeks  at  most. 
The  next  summer  new  antlers  grow,  but  these 
never  mature  so  as  to  pass  out  of  the  velvet ; 
and  these  never  drop  off,  although  they  may  be, 
and  usually  are,  broken  off,  more  or  less,  by  vio- 
lence, and  each  summer  after,  something  is  added 
by  new  growth  to  this  persistent  antler,  which, 
however,  is  scarcely  sufficient  to  make  up  for 
the  loss  of  portions  broken  off.  All  the  Lapp 
testimony  serves  to  show  that  generally  the 
organs  are  not  so  far  destroyed  as  to  prevent 
the  antlers  from  growing  to  perfection,  so  far  as 


230  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

to  be  cast  off'  and  renewed  annually,  though  gen- 
erally the  growth  is  retarded  and  the  maturity 
is  later  than  with  the  unmutilated  animal,  and 
sometimes  they  do  not  mature  and  drop  off,  but 
are  broken  off  near  the  head  and  then  grow 
out  the  next  year,  as  is  always  the  case  with  the 
Virginia  deer  under  similar  conditions  in  this 
latitude. 

The  great  trouble  I  had  to  encounter  in  the 
pursuit  of  facts,  was  the  want  of  careful  observa- 
tions by  those  who  had  such  great  facilities  for 
observing.  They  never  dreamed  that  this  opera- 
tion had  any  effect  upon  the  growth  of  the  ant- 
lers, and  so  any  peculiarity  of  growth  would  not 
be  attributed  to  that  cause,  and  as  it  was  a 
matter  of  not  the  least  earthly  moment  whether 
the  antler  dropped  off  or  broke  off  near  the 
head,  they  would  take  no  notice  of  the  fact 
whether  its  disappearance  was  produced  one 
way  or  the  other.  It  was  only  in  such  facts  as 
affected  their  interests  directly  that  their  obser- 
vations became  reliable  and  valuable. 

The  reindeer  is  the  only  member  of  the  deer 
family  which  has  ever  been  domesticated  to  any 
considerable  extent,  and,  as  such,  rendered  sub- 
servient to  the  use  of  man ;  although  another 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  231 

member,  the  European  elk,  which  specifically 
corresponds  with  the  American  moose,  is  much 
larger  and  more  powerful,  is  equally  adapted  to 
deep  snows,  and  can  endure  a  lower  latitude 
than  the  reindeer,  and  in  domestication  would 
have  supplied  the  place  of  the  ox  or  the  horse 
better.  And  yet  we  have  no  evidence  that  any 
persistent  attempt  has  ever  been  made  to  domes- 
ticate him.  I  say  is  equally  adapted  to  domes- 
tication, because  the  experiments  in  this  country 
show  that  such  is  the  case.  Indeed  most  of  the 
attempts  in  this  country  to  domesticate  the  rein- 
deer have  been  utter  failures,  while  our  moose 
have  been  frequently  domesticated  and  success- 
fully used  in  drawing  loads,  though  never  beyond 
what  may  be  called  simple  experiments.  We  are 
told  that  the  Scandinavian  elk  was  in  fact  at  one 
time  there  domesticated  and  successfully  broken 
to  draw  loads,  but  whether  this  was  done  by  the 
Lapps  or  the  Goths  is  not  stated.  Certain  it  is 
that  for  some  cause  the  experiment  was  aban- 
doned. I  cannot  help  believing  that  the  same 
persistency  which  has  characterized  the  efforts 
of  the  Lapps  to  domesticate  the  reindeer  would 
have  proved  at  least  an  equal  success  with  the 
European  elk. 


232  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

We  have  no  more  means  of  determining  when 
the  reindeer  was  first  subjected  to  the  control 
of  man  than  when  the  ox  or  the  horse  was  first 
reclaimed.  Both  events  are  equally  lost  in  an- 
tiquity. 

At  all  events,  the  domestication  of  the  rein- 
deer in  Europe  has  been  the  work  of  thousands 
of  years,  no  doubt,  and  still  he  retains  many  of 
his  wild  instincts;  and  could  we  know  the  history 
of  this  work  we  should,  I  presume,  find  it  was 
of  very  slow  progress,  and  the  result  of  patient 
effort,  and  probably  he  was  selected  instead  of 
the  elk  because  he  was  less  in  size  and  strength, 
and  so  more  easily  handled.  We  must  not  for- 
get one  great  advantage  which  he  has  over  the 
elk,  and  that  is,  being  lighter,  the  frozen  snow 
will  often  sustain  him  while  the  elk  would  break 
through  at  every  step,  although  he  has  less 
power  to  wade  through  it  when  he  does  sink  in. 
I  can  learn  of  no  attempt  to  domesticate  and 
work  the  wild4  reindeer  of  the  present  day  in 
Lapland,  and  I  think  it  probable  it  would  be  as 
difficult  a  task  as  it  would  be  to  domesticate  the 
reindeer  of  our  continent,  although  it  is  said  the 
Lapps  sometimes  manage  to  mingle  the  blood  of 
the  wild  with  their  tame  deer.  As  we  have  no 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  233 

people  absolutely  dependent  on  it  for  support, 
we  may  hardly  hope  to  see  the  attempt  made 
with  either  species,  unless  our  neighbors  on  the 
north  shall  undertake  it  as  a  government  enter- 
prise, for  they  alone  possess  its  natural  habitat, 
if  we  except  our  newly  acquired  domain  on  the 
North  Pacific  coast.  It  is  a  work,  no  doubt, 
worth  national  attention. 

Of  all  the  deer  family  the  female  reindeer 
alone  is  provided  with  antlers,  which,  like  those 
of  the  males  of  all,  are  shed  and  renewed  every 
year.  This  is  true,  not  only  of  the  European 
reindeer,  but  of  both  the  American  species  as 
well.  Indeed,  the  little  barren-ground  caribou, 
whose  range  is  substantially  within  the  Arctic 
Circle  of  America,  has  much  the  largest  ant- 
lers of  any  of  the  reindeer,  as  well  the  female 
as  the  male.  However,  the  antlers  of  the 
female  in  all  the  species  and  varieties  of  the 
reindeer  are  much  smaller  than  on  the  male, 
and  she  carries  them  later  in  the  season  before 
she  sheds  them.  Why  it  is  that  the  female 
reindeer  should  be  provided  with  antlers,  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  females  of  all  the  other  mem- 
bers of  this  great  family  of  ruminants,  which 
are  represented  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe, 


234  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

we  will  not  now  stop  to  inquire,  merely  remark- 
ing that  they  occupy  a  colder  country  than  any 
of  the  others. 

The  female  reindeer  is  not  only  valuable  to 
the  Lapp  for  the  flesh  and  pelt,  but  she  fur- 
nishes milk  as  well.  She  has  however  a  strong 
aversion  to  being  milked,  and  never  becomes 
kind  and  docile  to  the  Lapp  milkmaid  like  the 
cow,  but,  on  the  contrary,  will  never  learn  to 
submit  except  by  actual  force. 

When  brought  up  to  be  milked  they  are 
driven  into  a  yard,  and  even  there  they  have  to 
be  lassoed  and  held  fast  while  being  milked. 

The  quantity  obtained  varies  in  individuals, 
but  one  pint  is  rarely  exceeded,  and  generally 
it  is  less.  The  milk  is  exceedingly  rich,  espe- 
cially in  caseine.  In  color  and  consistence  it 
resembles  sweet  cream  from  the  cow's  milk.  It 
has  an  aromatic  taste,  but  untutored  stomachs 
can  bear  but  a  small  portion  at  a  time.  It  is 
rarely  made  into  butter,  which  is  of  a  white 
color  and  not  a  good  quality,  but  it  is  said  that 
six  or  eight  times  as  much  cheese  may  be  made 
from  it  as  from  cow's  milk.  The  Lapp  cheeses 
are  round  and  flat,  about  eight  or  ten  inches  in 
diameter,  and  scarcely  over  an  inch  thick,  and 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  235 

so  strong  to  the  smell  that  I  did  not  venture 
to  taste  them.  Indeed  I  was  told  that  the  Lapps 
themselves  do  not  habitually  eat  them,  but  use 
them  principally  as  a  remedy  for  chilblains  and 
frost-bites.  For  this  purpose  the  cheese  is  hung 
up  before  the  fire,  when  the  oil  drops  from  it 
which  is  applied  to  the  frosted  part,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  with  excellent  effect ;  at  least  I  would 
sooner  see  it  used  that  way  than  to  eat  it. 
They  are  very  oily  to  the  touch ;  indeed  I 
found  the  transportation  of  one  a  serious  mat- 
ter, and  thought  at  one  time  that  I  had  spoiled 
a  whole  trunk  of  clothes  with  one,  but  the  odor 
proved  not  to  be  very  permanent.  In  fact  the 
cheese  business  is  not  extensively  pursued  among 
the  Lapps,  but  the  milk  of  the  reindeer  is  prin- 
cipally used  in  its  simple  form. 

Thus  we  see  the  Laplanders  use  the  reindeer 
as  a  beast  of  draught  and  a  beast  of  burthen ;  it 
supplies  them  with  both  milk  and  flesh  for  food ; 
its  skin  furnishes  -them  with  clothes  from  head 
to  foot,  and  also  serves  for  bedding  and  wraps 
or  robes.  Of  the  bones  and  antlers  they  inge- 
niously make  various  implements,  both  for  their 
own  use  and  for  sale.  It  constitutes  not  only 
the  wealth  but  the  very  existence  of  the  mount- 


236  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

ain  Lapps.  Without  them  the  interior  of  the 
country  would  forever  have  remained  uninhab- 
ited, for  no  other  domesticated  animal  could 
have  supplied  its  place.  It  lives  and  thrives  in 
a  practically  barren  country,  save  only  certain 
lichens,  without  which  the  reindeer  cannot  live, 
and  which  here  grow  very  abundantly. 

I  have  said  the  reindeer  cannot  live  without 
that  peculiar  lichen  called  reindeer  moss,  or 
some  equivalent.  This  I  learned  at  the  zoolog- 
ical gardens  at  Berlin,  Cologne  and  Paris, 
where  I  found  them  in  confinement.  Here  I 
saw  them  daily  fed  with  this  same  moss,  brought 
from  Norway  for  them.  Even  with  this  they 
are  short-lived  in  those  warmer  latitudes. 

It  must  not  be  understood  that  this  is  their 
exclusive  food.  They  eat  most  of  the  grasses 
and  browse  besides,  which  is  probably  better  for 
them  than  to  be  confined  exclusively  to  the 
moss ;  but  with  these  they  must  have  the  moss. 
Nowhere  on  the  globe,  in  either  hemisphere,  is 
the  reindeer  found,  except  where  nutritious 
mosses  abound,  although,  as  already  stated, 
these  by  no  means  constitute  their  exclusive 
diet.  Perhaps  none  is  more  abundant  or  more 
nutritious  than  the  reindeer  moss  of  Norway — 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  237 

ranunculus  glacialus — but  it  scarcely  surpasses 
the  Cladonia  rangiferina,  which  is  as  truly  a 
reindeer  moss  as  the  other,  and  flourishes  most 
luxuriantly  in  Labrador,  although  it  is  found 
wherever  the  woodland  caribou  ranges.  These 
also  relish  many  other  mosses,  which  are,  how- 
ever, less  abundant.  They  are  fond  of  the  tree  or 
parasitic  mosses  which  grow  within  their  range. 

The  barren  grounds  of  our  polar  regions 
afford  a  great  abundance  and  variety  of  rich 
lichens  upon  which  the  small  reindeer  there 
found  feed,  as  the  cornicularin,  the  diver  gens  > 
the  ochriluca,  the  cucullata,  the  istandica,  and 
the  cenomice  rangiferina. 

We  cannot  but  be  impressed  with  the  spe- 
cial adaptability  of  the  reindeer  to  the  peculiar 
food  so  abundant  in  the  desolate  regions  which 
they  inhabit,  and  of  that  peculiar  food  to  them. 
Without  them,  all  that  vegetable  wealth  could 
contribute  nothing  to  the  sustenance  of  animal 
life,  for  no  other  ruminants,  if  we  except  the 
musk  ox,  which  nowhere  abounds,  can  there 
resist  the  rigors  of  the  climate,  and  no  other 
class  of  vegetation  can  there  grow  in  sufficient 
abundance  to  sustain  any  considerable  amount 
of  animal  life.  If  the  time  shall  ever  come  when 


238  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

the  barren-ground  caribou  shall  be  extermi- 
nated—  and  most  of  our  wild  animals  are  rap- 
idly disappearing  from  this  country  —  then  those 
regions  where  he  now  appears  in  incredible 
numbers  must  remain  uninhabited. 

When  I  had  extracted  all  the  information  I 
could  from  the  Lapp,  he  wrote  his  name,  An- 
ders Nilsen  Heika,  in  my  note-book,  and  we 
broke  up  the  interview. 

He  was  probably  disgusted  with  my  inquis- 
itiveness,  though  he  showed  no  impatience,  nor 
did  the  interpreters  complain,  but  on  the  other 
hand  affected  quite  an  interest  in  the  subject. 
During  that  examination,  with  the  animal  so 
close  before  me,  and  made  still  more  critical  by 
handling  it,  I  became  entirely  convinced  of  the 
specific  identity  of  the  reindeer  of  Lapland  and 
the  woodland  caribou  of  America,  and  in  this 
opinion  I  was  only  confirmed  by  a  subsequent 
examination  of  the  wild  reindeer  of  Norway ; 
but  it  would  be  foreign  to  my  present  purpose 
to  enter  upon  a  discussion  of  this  question  and 
assign  the  reasons  for  this  conclusion,  in  which, 
however,  I  but  agree  with  most  of  those  who 
have  compared  them,  though  at  another  time  I 
may  be  able  to  present,  in  another  work  I  have 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  239 

in  preparation  — "  The  American  Antelope  and 
Deer,  and  their  Domestication  " —  some  analogies 
which  others  have  not  noticed,  in  which  I  shall 
also  show  that  three  of  our  American  species 
have  their  analogues  in  Europe. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


A  COMMERCIAL  LEVEE;  LAPLAND  THREAD;  NORWEGIAN  LOG 
CABIN;  DOMESTIC  INDUSTRY;  LUNCHEON;  A  CUTLER'S  SHOP; 
THE  UNIVERSAL  SHEATH-KNIFE,  ITS  USE  AND  COST;  LAPP 
ENCAMPMENT;  A  CHARMING  SAIL  TO  TOWN;  LOCATION  OF  TROM- 
so;  DULL  FISHING;  SOCIAL  LIFE  IN  TOWNS;  GENERAL  GRAVITY 
OF  THE  PEOPLE  ;  LEAVE  TROMSO  ;  MONOTONY  OF  PERPETUAL  DAY- 
LIGHT, AND  DESIRE  TO  ESCAPE  IT;  THE  STEAMER;  SECOND  VIEW 
OF  THE  GRAND  COAST  SCENERY;  THE  WORKS  OF  NATURE  AND  OF 
MAN;  HUMAN  INSIGNIFICANCE. 

I  LOOKED  around  after  I  had  concluded  my 
interview  with  the  Lapp,  and  found  the  oth- 
ers of  the  party  attending  the  reception  of  the 
lady  Lapp,  who  was  seated  at  the  foot  of  a 
bunch  of  alders  a  little  way  off.  I  joined  the 
party,  and  discovered  that,  like  other  thrifty 
ladies,  she  had  an  eye  to  the  main  chance  — 
indeed  she  was  driving  a  thriving  trade  in  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  a  coarse  thread  from 
the  sinews  of  the  deer,  such  as  they  use  in  man- 
ufacturing the  skins  into  shoes  and  garments. 

She  first  stripped  the  tendon,  when  in  a  moist 
condition,  into  fine  fibers  like  flax,  and  then 
from  these  she  drew  out  a  thread  of  any  size 
and  length  she  pleased.  This  she  twisted  as 

16  (241) 


242  A   SUMMED  IN 'NORWAY, 

she  drew  it  out,  with  great  dexterity,  by  rolling 
it  on  her  cheek  with  her  hand.  This  she  would 
make  for  you,  single,  double  or  quadruple ;  but 
for  the  latter  there  was  little  demand,  as  no 
one  seemed  ready  to  hang  himself,  and  it  was 
abundantly  strong  for  that  purpose.  As  the 
value  of  the  article  was  much  enhanced  by 
seeing  it  made,  it  had  taken  some  time  to  sup- 
ply the  demand.  The  price  was  half  a  mark, 
or  say  eleven  cents  of  our  money,  for  a  thread 
two  yards  long — a  round  price,  no  doubt,  if  sold 
in  quantities,  but  for  the  small  trade  she  was 
doing,  cheap  enough.  She  had  other  trinkets, 
such  as  the  market  required,  and,  on  the  whole, 
made  a  fair  morning's  work. 

At  last  we  adjourned  to  the  cabin  of  a  Nor- 
wegian settler,  as  we  would  say  in  our  western 
country.  To  reach  this  we  had  to  go  nearly 
half  a  mile,  through  boggy  ground  and  alder- 
bushes,  to  the  creek,  which  we  had  to  cross  in 
a  boat,  for  the  tide  had  come  up  and  there  was 
deep  water  where  two  hours  before  we  could 
have  stepped  across  on  the  stones. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  creek  the  valley  was 
broad,  affording  many  acres  of  level  ground, 
but  it  narrowed  rapidly  toward  the  mountains, 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  243 

whence  the  stream  issued.  The  house  was  sit- 
uated on  a  bed  of  peat,  of  unknown  depth, 
which  occupied  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
valley.  Ditches  had  been  cut  near  the  house 
to  render  it  sufficiently  dry  for  a  dwelling-place 
and  a  small  garden.  A  nice  crop  of  grass  was 
growing  beyond  the  peat-bog,  and  on  it  grasses 
peculiar  to  such  locations. 

The  house  was  a  log-cabin,  almost  the  exact 
counterpart  of  the  log-cabins  found  on  our  west- 
ern frontier.  It  had  two  rooms,  separated  by  a 
little  hall,  in  each  of  which  was  a  stove  instead 
of  a  fireplace.  One  of  these  rooms  had  been 
cleaned  up  for  our  reception  and  looked  quite 
inviting.  In  this  were  two  chairs,  some  stools 
and  a  table,  besides  a  loom  at  which  a  girl  was 
weaving  a  piece  of  coarse  cloth  for  domestic  use. 
The  loom  was  similar  to  that  which  I  used  to 
see  in  my  boyhood  in  farmers'  houses  at  the 
East,  but  which  are  now  almost  entirely  banished 
from  the  land.  Another  girl  was  carding  the 
wool  into  rolls  and  spinning  it  on  a  small 
wheel ;  the  cards  were  the  same  as  those  common 
many  years  ago  in  this  country  for  carding  tow 
and  cotton,  before  machinery  had  rendered  such 
excellent  utensils  unnecessary,  and  the  wheel 


244  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

was  nearly  the  same  as  our  mothers  used  for 
spinning  flax.  All  these  were  tried  by  each  one 
of  the  party  in  turn,  but  of  course  with  universal 
failure ;  but  the  native  girls  were  expert,  and 
evidently  enjoyed  the  encomiums  bestowed  upon 
their  skill. 

We  had  brought  a  good  lunch  with  us,  which 
was  supplemented  by  some  bowls  of  sour  milk 
or  bonny-clabber.  This  was  a  most  acceptable 
relish  to  the  Norwegians  of  the  party,  but  '  it 
did  not  seem  to  suit  our  palates.  It  is  all  in 
use  no  doubt.  This  is  a  favorite  and  may  be 
said  to  be  a  national  dish  in  Norway. 

I  have  lost  the  name  of  this  family,  which 
I  much  regret.  Close  by  was  a  small  log 
blacksmith's  shop,  or  rather  cutlery,  where  the 
old  gentleman  of  the  establishment  cunningly 
fabricated  sheath-knives. 

Now,  every  male  Norwegian  and  Lapp  above 
six  years  old  must  be  furnished  with  a  sheath- 
knife,  suspended  from  a  belt  and  hanging  over 
his  left  hip.  This  universal  personal  appendage 
they  call  tol-kniv.  This  at  first  impresses  the 
stranger  that  he  is  in  dangerous  companionship, 
and  that  a  bloody  fray  may  occur  every  hour 
of  the  day.  But  nothing  could  be  further  from 


PERPETUAL  DAY,  245 

the  truth.  They  are  really  a  very  peaceable 
and  amiable  people.  During  all  my  travels  in 
Norway  I  saw  scarcely  an  approach  to  a  personal, 
much  less  a  sanguinary,  use  of  this  formidable 
looking  knife.  It  is  carried  in  place  of  the 
pocket-knife  with  us,  and  is  used  only  for  the 
purposes  to  which  the  pocket-knife  is  applied. 
Besides,  it  is  considered  ornamental,  and  is  worn 
for  show  as  well.  Indeed,  without  it  the  Nor- 
wegian of  either  high  or  low  degree  would  con- 
sider himself  only  partly  dressed.  Hence  these 
knives  are  made  of  various  grades  of  finish 
and  ornamentation,  with  corresponding  prices 
A  good  serviceable  knife,  such  as  will  satisfy 
the  ambition  of  the  fisherman,  may  be  bought 
for  two  marks  (say  forty-five  cents),  while  if 
one  is  disposed  to  be  extravagant  he  can  gratify 
his  taste  to  almost  any  extent  in  the  purchase 
of  a  knife. 

Now,  it  was  the  business  of  that  old  gentle- 
man to  make  these  knives,  and  he  had  a  good 
assortment  on  hand,  and  drove  a  thriving  busi- 
ness that  day.  The  one  I  got  cost  me  two 
dollars,  and  was  one  of  his  best.  The  blade  is 
five  inches  long  and  three-fourths  of  an  inch 
broad,  and  is  sharp  pointed ;  it  is  heavy  and 


246  A  SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

strong,  and  probably  is  well  tempered.  The 
handle  is  of  walrus  ivory,  with  a  silver  band 
at  each  end  elaborately  chased.  The  sheath  is 
of  iron  and  very  thin,  well  polished  and  richly 
enchased  on  the  outside.  The  chasing  is  remark- 
able considering  the  pretensions  of  the  workman, 
and  surprised  an  expert  who  was  one  of  our 
party.  These  sheath-knives  are  always  kept  in 
stock  in  all  the  trading  establishments. 

Of  course  the  Lapp  encampment  had  to  be 
visited.  That  was  in  a  canon  two  miles  back. 
We  had  brought  three  saddles  with  us,  and  had 
engaged  some  ponies.  I  gave  up  my  pony  and 
saddle  to  a  lady  of  another  party,  so  that  but 
two  of  my  party  visited  the  camp.  The  road 
was  represented  as  very  wet  and  rugged,  as  the 
snows  were  now  melting  rapidly.  I  consoled 
myself  exploring  the  country  near  by  and  — 
cutting  my  thumb. 

In  about  two  hours  the  party  returned  from 
the  Lapp  camp,  and  we  at  once  prepared  for 
our  departure.  But  here  we  met  with  a  serious 
difficulty.  No  one  was  disposed  to  state  the 
amount  of  the  reckoning.  The  girls  referred  it 
to  the  good  mother,  she  referred  it  to  the  old 
gentleman  in  the  cutlery,  and  he  referred  it  back 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  247 

to  the  girls,  and  how  many  times  those  maidens 
rushed  from  the  house  to  the  shop  and  back  I 
dare  not  try  to  state.  At  last,  however,  we  got 
an  intimation,  which  was  ridiculously  cheap,  and 
by  doubling  it  received  many  benedictions. 

Since  the  tide  had  come  up,  our  boat  had 
been  brought  around  into  the  creek,  so  we  did 
not  have  to  be  packed  on  board,  but  took  the 
boat  without  great  difficulty.  So  soon  as  we 
got  out  of  the  creek  and  fairly  into  the  fjord, 
we  found  a  nice  little  breeze,  and  fair,  so  our 
sails  were  set  and  we  sped  along  at  a  dancing 
rate. 

What  is  more  charming  than  a  quick  run 
in  a  sail-boat  in  still  waters  ?  Here  the  fjord 
was  so  narrow  that  there  was  no  room  for  the 
breeze  to  ruffle  the  water  seriously.  We  had  a 
delightful  run  home,  where  we  arrived  in  good 
time  for  dinner,  for  which  our  excursion  had 
given  us  excellent  appetites.  This  was  one  of 
the  pleasantest  as  well  as  most  instructive  ex- 
cursions I  made  during  our  stay  at  Tromso. 

I  have  already  remarked  that  Tromso  is  the 
capital,  or,  I  should  rather  say,  the  metropolis, 
of  Finmark,  which  is  but  another  term  for  Nor- 
wegian Lapland,  and  is  the  largest  city  both  in 


248  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

population  and  commerce  within  the  Arctic  Cir- 
cle. It  is  on  the  east  side  of  an  island  —  the 
terminal  letter  (6)  in  the  name  of  a  place  indi- 
cates in  the  Norwegian  language  an  island, 
or  on  an  island,  and  so  conveniently  saves 
much  explanation.  It  is  very  pleasantly  situated, 
the  lower  part  upon  undulating  ground  high 
above  the  water,  while  the  back  streets  of  the 
city  are  on  the  side-hill,  or  lead  to  steep  emi- 
nences which  afford  some  very  beautiful  pros- 
pects. There  are  uninclosed  grass-plats  about  the 
city  and  in  its  vicinity,  upon  which  sheep  and 
other  stock  may  be  seen  grazing.  There  are 
many  nice  gardens  in  cultivation  which  give  it 
a  cheering  aspect,  while,  as  in  almost  every  place 
in  Norway,  a  great  profusion  of  pot  flowers 
may  be  seen  in  the  windows  of  the  houses. 

They  have  several  fine  wharves  extending 
from  the  street  into  the  bay,  but  not  far  enough 
to  allow  sea-going  vessels  to  reach  them  at  low 
tide. 

I  have  before  commented  upon  this  strange 
inconvenience  to  commerce  everywhere  in  Nor- 
way, and  could  get  no  explanation  of  it,  than  that 
it  would  cost  money  to  extend  them ;  although 
when  once  done  they  would  be  perfectly  secure 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  249 

from  rough  weather  and  would  not  be  liable  to 
fill  up  with  shifting  sands. 

Our  fishing  excursions  were  not  generally  very 
successful,  as  it  was  the  dull  season  for  fishing, 
although  quite  a  number  of  fishermen's  boats 
were  constantly  seen  in  the  fjord.  They  must 
work  whether  it  pays  or  not,  for  that  is  their 
daily  business. 

The  social  relations  here  are  excellent.  With 
good  facilities  for  ascertaining  the  facts,  I  learned 
that  the  towns  and  cities  of  Norway  are  not 
quite  exempt  from  that  tattling,  gossiping,  back- 
biting disposition  which  sometimes  renders  a 
residence  in  towns  of  the  same  size  in  other 
countries  very  unpleasant.  People  do  sometimes 
take  upon  themselves  the  care  of  their  neigh- 
bors' concerns,  and  so  have  less  time  to  attend 
to  their  own  affairs  than  they  otherwise  might ; 
still  the  social  relations  of  the  citizens  are  pleas- 
ant in  town  as  well  as  in  the  country.  The 
young  people  have  their  assemblies,  the  old 
ladies  their  tea-parties,  and  the  burghers  their 
meetings  to  discuss  public  affairs  over  their 
pipes  and  interchange  views  in  general. 

On  the  whole,  however,  the  Norwegians  are 
rather  a  grave  people,  not  given  to  practical 


250  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

jokes,  to  story-telling,  fun  and  laughter.  Even 
the  frolics  of  the  young  people,  which  they  no 
doubt  enjoy,  have  a  certain  air  of  gravity  which 
their  tastes  and  sense  of  decorum  demand.  A 
kindly  feeling  seems  to  pervade  the  whole  com- 
munity, which  a  little  propensity  to  what  we  call 
tattling  does  not  seem  to  destroy.  Truthful- 
ness and  integrity  in  their  ordinary  intercourse 
seem  to  be  ingrain. 

Four  days  sufficed  to  do  Tromso  and  its  envi- 
rons, and  so  we  packed  our  trunks  and  bid  fare- 
well, probably  for  the  last  time,  to  the  arctic 
city,  got  into  the  little  boat  in  the  evening  and 
pulled  away  to  the  steamer  Trondhjem,  which 
had  arrived  the  morning  before,  bound  south.  I 
say  in  the  evening,  but  it  was  so  only  in  name, 
or  rather  hour,  for  the  sun  was  still  shining 
down  upon  us  in  full  vigor  all  night  long,  so 
that  so  far  as  light  can  serve  to  make  the  day, 
it  was  all  day — there  was  neither  evening  nor 
morning,  but  day  always.  I  confess  that  this 
unchanging  light  —  this  continual  brightness  at 
all  times  the  same,  except  dimmed  by  clouds, 
had  already  become  monotonous.  The  midnight 
sun  had  lost  its  novelty,  and  with  it  its  charm. 
The  gorgeous  colorings  of  the  long  streaky 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  251 

clouds,  rich  and  beautiful  beyond  description, 
which  more  than  at  other  times  hung  around 
him  at  midnight,  and  shaded  the  tints  upon  the 
mountains,  and  which  would  sometimes  make  the 
snow  upon  them  look  as  if  they  were  molten 
lava  ready  to  burst  upon  and  devastate  the  val- 
leys beneath,  and  then  as  if  by  magic  assume 
another  hue  and  then  another,  like  a  rapidly 
shifting  scene,  could  never  lose  its  quickening 
charm  and  its  enchanting  beauty ;  but  after  all 
we  longed  for  darkness  and  for  night.  Do 
what  we  could  to  darken  the  windows  to  keep 
out  the  light,  still  it  was  not  night  as  nature 
makes  it,  and  which  the  habit  of  a  lifetime  had 
rendered  necessary  to  sound  repose.  Artificial 
darkness,  especially  when  incomplete,  is  as  far 
from  night  as  artificial  light  is  from  day.  What 
we  now  desired  was,  a  good  long,  sound  sleep 
in  a  natural  night,  and  not  the  less  perfect  rest 
in  the  sombre  shade  of  curtained  windows.  We 
therefore  went  on  board  the  Trondhjem,  which 
would  take  us  below  the  Arctic  Circle  and 
beyond  the  confines  of  perpetual  day,  without 
regret.  We  thought  that  even  an  hour's  dark- 
ness would  be  a  great  relief,  and  this  we  hoped 
soon  to  reach.  I  may  say  here,  however,  that 


252  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

we  never  knew  in  fact  when  we  did  reach  this, 
for  it  so  happened  that  for  the  first  ten  days 
and  more  after  we  passed  the  Polar  Circle  we 
slept  through  the  short  time  of  darkness  without 
seeing  it.  We  went  to  sleep  and  awakened  with 
the  broad  light  of  day  still  shining  fiercely  out- 
side, to  all  appearance  the  same  as  when  in  the 
far  north. 

By  ten  o'clock  our  steamer  weighed  anchor, 
and  quietly  glided  along  the  fjord  among  the 
little  fleet  of  fishing-boats  which  dotted  its 
surface. 

The  Trondhjem  was  a  much  larger  vessel 
than  the  Hakon-Jarl,  and  belonged  to  the 
Christiana  line  and  to  another  company ;  but  as 
stated,  I  found  that  the  return  tickets  which  I 
had  taken  on  the  Hamburgh  steamer  were  good 
here.  The  terminal  point  of  this  line  is  Tromso, 
so  that  north  of  this  point  there  is  but  a  weekly 
steamer,  while  south  of  it  there  are  two  each 
week.  The  ladies'  state-room  was  below  in  the 
darkest  part  of  the  ship,  and  I  doubt  not  they 
slept  the  better  for  it,  while  for  the  gentlemen, 
we  had  to  take  the  narrow  shelves  or  seats  in 
the  dining-saloon ;  nevertheless  we  slept  very 
well,  and  that  was  enough. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  253 

In  the  morning  when  I  went  on  deck  I  found 
we  were  passing  along  the  same  route  we  had 
pursued  on  our  way  north,  but  enjoyed  a  second 
view  of  the  grand  wild  scenery  almost  as  much 
as  if  it  were  entirely  new. 

The  American  reader  is  apt  to  associate  the 
term  wild  scenery  or  wild  country  with  a  new 
or  lately  peopled  country,  where  the  hand  of 
man  has  not  yet  had  time  or  opportunity  to 
destroy  the  natural  features  or  native  beauties 
impressed  upon  it  by  its  Maker's  hand.  Here 
these  beauties  and  these  features  remain,  not 
for  the  lack  of  time,  but  because  man  is  too 
weak  to  deface  them,  and  so  they  remain  in 
their  grand  sublimity  through  the  thousands  of 
years  during  which  man  has  been  playing  around 
them.  He  can  never  tear  down  or  even  deface 
these  huge  rocky  monuments  thrown  up  by  con- 
vulsed nature  in  primeval  time  before  man  was. 
He  can  never  melt  away  the  eternal  snows  which 
have  for  untold  ages  mantled  the  far-off  mount- 
ain tops,  or  dissolve  the  glistening  glaciers,  which 
with  slow  but  resistless  course  creep  down  the 
great  chasms  in  the  mountain  sides,  and  waste 
themselves  in  turbid  torrents  in  the  lower  val- 


254  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

leys.*  These  scenes  are  wild  because  man  can- 
not tame  them.  Could  he,  he  would  have  defaced 
them  long  ago,  and  substituted  the  results  of  his 
own  puny  efforts,  to  which  in  vain  pride  he  would 
have  pointed,  and  said  with  feeble  voice,  "  LOOK 
THERE!"  Vain  man!  what  art  thou,  ever  dressed 
in  swaddling  clothes,  to  presume  that  thou  canst 
rival  the  works  of  Him  who  made  thee?  Canst 
thou  uplift  mountains  —  canst  thou  divide  the 
seas  —  canst  thou  make  a  vast  firmament  like 
the  starry  heavens  ?  Shrink  away  abashed  in 
the  presence  of  Him  who  made  thee  and  these. 
Acknowledge  thy  littleness,  and  be  content  to 
know  that  thou  canst  only  remotely  imitate  that 
which  only  an  almighty  hand  can  make,  and  ask 
none  to  admire  thy  abortive  works  who  may  gaze 
entranced  upon  the  nobler  works  of  God. 

*  North  of  Bodo  is  a  glacier  said  to  be  one  hundred  miles  long,  and 
of  enormous  width.  There  are  numerous  other  smaller  glaciers  in 
arctic  Norway. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


THE  LOFODEN  ISLANDS,  THEIR  NUMBER,  SIZE  AND  LOCATION;  THE 
MAELSTROM;  ISLAND  SCENERY;  THE  INHABITANTS,  VIRTUE,  TEM- 
PERANCE AND  INDUSTRY;  THE  WOMEN,  ABLE-BODIED  AND  GOOD- 
LOOKING;  GENERAL  CLEANLINESS;  THE  JOURNEY  AMONG  THE 

ISLANDS;  DANGEROUS  NAVIGATION;  AUTHORITY  OF  CAPTAIN  AND 
PILOT;  PASS  BODO;  LEAVE  THE  ARCTIC  CIRCLE;  NORWEGIAN 
FJORDS  AND  LAKES;  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  JOURNEY;  REACH 
TRONDHJEM. 

AFTER  we  passed  Lodengen  we  entered  the 
Vest  Fjorden,  which  is  the  great  bay  or 
fjord  which  separates  the  archipelago  along  the 
mainland  from  the  Lofoden  islands,  and  bore 
away  to  the  west  to  visit  that  celebrated  group. 

These  islands  lie  entirely  within  the  Arctic 
Circle,  and  constitute  a  feature  of  the  Norwe- 
gian coast  which  reminds  one  of  the  Alueten 
islands  on  our  Alaskan  coast,  although  of  course 
less  in  extent  and  more  than  ten  degrees  fur- 
ther north.  They  are  even  north  of  Behring's 
Strait,  which  is  below  the  Arctic  Circle.  It  was 
only  by  these  comparisons  that  we  could  really 
appreciate  how  far  north  we  were. 

These    islands   are    projected    from    the    coast 

about  the  sixty-ninth   degree   north   latitude,  and 

(255) 


256  A   SUMMED  IN  NOXWAY. 

gradually  diverge  from  it  in  a  direction  south 
of  west,  jutting  far  out  into  the  North  Atlantic, 
the  largest  and  the  most  easterly  of  which  is 
Hindo,  which  is  only  separated  from  the  conti- 
nent by  a  comparatively  narrow  strait  at  Sand- 
torv,  a  snug  little  hamlet  situate  on  the  island. 

This  group  of  islands  has  the  appearance  of 
a  great  peninsula,  broad  at  the  base  and  grad- 
ually tapering  to  the  point,  traversed  by  innu- 
merable narrow  channels,  more  abundant  toward 
the  west,  so  that  the  islands  gradually  diminish 
in  size  toward  the  extremity  of  the  group.  The 
apparent  peninsula  seems  to  terminate  with  Mos- 
kence,  which  is  a  long  narrow  island  and  ends  in 
a  bald  cape,  upon  which  the  angry  waves  of  the 
Atlantic  have  expended  their  fury  for  untold 
ages,  and  so  they  may  do  for  as  long  a  time 
in  the  future  before  they  will  beat  it  down  and 
bury  its  fragments  beneath  their  agitated  sur- 
face. 

Separated  from  this  by  Lofododden  Strait 
ten  miles  broad,  is  the  isolated  island  of  Vcero, 
upon  which  stands  the  fishing  hamlet  of  Sor- 
land.  Nearly  midway  in  this  strait  a  huge 
naked  rock,  which  might  be  fairly  called  an 
island,  lifts  itself  above  the  waters,  breasting 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  257 

the  conflicting  currents  caused  by  the  winds 
and  tides.  Between  this  rock,  and  the  cape  on 
Moskenoe,  is  the  famous  MAELSTROM,  which  fer- 
tile imaginations  have  clothed  with  so  many 
terrors.  Its  geographical  position  is  such  as  to 
expose  it  to  fierce  tidal  currents,  and  when 
these  are  assisted  by  high  westerly  winds  they 
are,  no  doubt,  terrific.  The  bottom  of  the  strait 
is  strewn  with  immense  boulders,  which  are  so 
arranged  as  to  give  the  current  a  spiral  motion 
directed  toward  this  isolated  rock  from  the 
northern  side,  which  is  much  increased  in  times 
of  high  tides  and  storms,  when  it  whirls  quite 
around  the  island-rock.  Then  it  is  that  it  be- 
comes really  difficult  for  boats  and  vessels,  with- 
out steam  power,  to  keep  clear  of  the  rocks 
against  which  the  wayward  currents  would  dash 
them. 

While  there  are  at  times  vast  and  powerful 
eddies  which  give  objects  floating  upon  them  a 
fearful  spiral  motion,  there  is  nothing  like  a 
vortex  produced  by  a  subterranean  discharge 
of  the  water,  although  the  tumbling  and  boil- 
ing character  of  the  spiral  currents  may  sub- 
merge temporarily  objects  drifting  on  the  surface. 

No  doubt   in    the    course   of    time    the   action 

17 


258  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

of  the  waters  has  tended  to  level  down  the  bed 
rocks,  some  of  which  we  may  presume  showed 
themselves  above  the  surface.  This  may  have 
made  the  Maelstrom  much  more  terrific  than  it 
is  now,  and  better  justified  the  ancient  fables. 
As  it  is  in  ordinary  times,  and  in  favorable 
weather,  the  fishermen  do  not  hesitate  to  seek 
for  fares  throughout  these  waters,  which,  to 
strangers,  are  suggestive  of  the  most  terrific 
dangers.  Still  outside  and  twenty  miles  to  the 
southwest  of  Vcero,  is  a  nest  of  rocky  islets,  the 
principal  of  which  is  Rost,  but  mostly  beyond 
the  view  of  the  ordinary  routes  of  local  travel. 
These  are  the  farthest  out  to'  sea  of  all  the 
Norwegian  islands,  and  are  the  last  land  left  on 
the  way  from  the  Lofodens  to  Iceland,  which  is 
far  away  to  the  southwest.  Around  these  out- 
lying rocks  are  said  to  be  favorite  fishing- 
grounds,  which  the  hardy  fishermen  profitably 
visit  even  in  the  long  night  of  winter,  as  well 
as  in  the  perpetual  day  of  summer.  These  are 
the  last  sad  remnants  of  that  great  rocky  barrier 
which,  geologists  tell  us,  once  in  a  bold  contin- 
uous and  defiant  line  presented  its  hard  face  to 
the  rough  salute  of  the  sea  beyond,  and  which 
by  the  elements  and  time,  and  probably  ter- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  259 

restrial  convulsions,  has  been  broken  into  frag- 
ments which  now  constitute  the  islands  as  we 
see  them. 

The  general  characteristics  of  the  scenery  of 
these  islands  correspond  with  that  of  much  of 
the  mainland  coast,  though  in  general  it  may  be 
said  to  be  bolder,  and  in  a  given  distance  more 
high  and  snow-clad  peaks  come  into  view.  The 
highest  and  roughest  appear  at  the  northeastern 
end  of  the  group,  where  from  a  distant  view 
they  seem  to  form  a  connection  with  the  coast 
islands  and  the  mainland.  On  looking  back, 
when  crossing  the  fjord,  and  twenty  miles  away, 
the  long  line  of  mountain  peaks  looks  like  the 
edge  of  a  saw  with  many  of  the  teeth  broken 
out,  growing  less  and  less  prominent  toward 
the  southwest  end.  The  interior  of  the  islands 
is  practically  uninhabitable.  They  are  mountains 
altogether ;  many,  above  the  line  of  perpetual 
snow,  and  where  the  topography  would  admit 
of  settlement,  they  lack  the  soil  to  invite  it,  and 
the  cold  bleak  winds,  if  not  the  snow  itself, 
forbid  settlements  in  the  interior. 

Along  the  coast  there  are  some  pretty  little 
nooks  with  green  grass  plats,  in  which  are  always 
found  as  many  fisher-huts  as  can  well  be  accom- 


260  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

modated.  These,  like  others  already  described, 
are  made  of  flattened  logs  or  poles,  painted  red 
and  roofed  with  earth  on  birch-bark  sheeting. 
They  always  looked  cozy  and  home-like,  and 
suggested  by  their  appearance  secluded  content- 
ment and  domestic  happiness  far  away  from  the 
strifes  and  turmoil  of  the  outer  world,  where 
man  is  ever  at  war  with  man  in  the  pursuit  of 
glittering  phantoms  which  ambition  is  ever  pre- 
senting, or  grasping  for  gold  which  never  satis- 
fies. Who  shall  doubt  that  here  is  more  real 
contentment,  with  fewer  cares  and  anxieties,  than 
in  more  favored  lands,  as  we  call  them,  where 
artificial  wants  swallow  up  the  fruits  of  richer 
products  and  are  still  unsatisfied.  The  little 
garden  by  the  hut  and  the  birch-bark  flower 
pots  ranged  by  the  door  or  standing  in  the 
window  tell  us,  too,  that  there  is  a  certain 
degree  of  refinement  there,  which  contradicts  the 
idea  of  that  rough  rudeness  which  we  are  apt 
to  associate  with  the  hardy  fishermen  whose 
daughters  as  well  as  sons  are  strong  at  the  oar 
and  skillful  at  the  fishing-line. 

It  was  easy  to  understand  the  pictures  drawn 
by  those  familiar  with  their  inner  social  life,  of 
the  joyous  hilarity  of  their  neighborhood  gather- 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  261 

ings,  more  usual  in  the  winter  season,  when  the 
young  people  congregate  and  pass  the  time  in 
dancing  and  plays,  diversified  by  the  older  peo- 
ple with  stories  drawn  from  the  old  legends 
and  mythical  traditions  when  giants  peopled  the 
mountains  and  mermaids  and  sea-serpents  the 
waters. 

If  the  manners  of  the  people  are  rude,  as 
compared  with  the  refinements  of  city  life,  they 
are  no  more  so  than  that  of  the  peasantry  of 
other  countries,  and  they  are  certainly  not  licen- 
tious, so  far  as  I  was  enabled  to  collect  evidence 
on  the  subject.  All  were  well  dressed  according 
to  their  condition  in  life,  and  there  was  an  air 
of  high  self-respect  and  independence  in  marked 
contrast  to  the  bearing  of  the  populations  of 
many  other  countries  of  Europe  in  the  same 
condition  of  life.  Though  always  courteous  in 
the  extreme,  there  was  not  the  least  trace  of 
sycophancy  which  is  so  plainly  indicative  of  a 
people  oppressed  in  some  form  or  other  by  a 
superior  class. 

Nor  did  I  see  the  least  evidence  of  that 
intemperance  of  which  others  have  spoken  so 
confidently.  I  did  not  see  a  drunken  man  in 
Norway,  except  a  Lapp,  and  I  cannot  say  that 


262  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

of  any  other  country  in  which  I  have  traveled 
so  far  and  made  so  many  stops.  If  intemper- 
ance was  formerly  prevalent  among  this  people, 
it  is  the  most  remarkable  instance  of  a  total 
reformation  to  be  anywhere  met  with  within  my 
knowledge,  and  it  would  be  well  worth  so  long 
a  journey  for  those  who  have  a  reformation  in 
this  direction  so  much  at  heart,  to  study  the 
mode  by  which  so  great  a  change  has  been 
wrought.  Even  the  light  beer  of  the  country  is 
not  used  except  to  a  limited  extent.  I  fre- 
quently saw  this  peasant  class  in  great  crowds, 
upon  the  boat,  and  carefully  studied  them  for 
hours  together,  and  always  found  them  quiet 
and  orderly,  courteous  and  kind  to  each  other 
in  their  own  unpolished  way. 

The  men  are  stout,  robust  fellows,  evidently 
capable  of  great  endurance,  and  laziness  is  cer- 
tainly not  one  of  their  attributes.  Their  features 
are  rough  and  hardy  but  are  not  ill-formed, 
while  they  are  not,  as  a  general  rule,  handsome 
men.  The  women  are  rather  stout  bodies,  full- 
chested,  and  well  developed,  and  apparently 
about  as  strong  as  the  men.  I  saw  them  pick 
up  boxes  and  other  packages  and  handle  them 
in  a  way  that  showed  they  were  quite  inde- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  263 

pendent  of  the  men,  who  stood  about  with  an 
indifference  which  showed  a  total  absence  of 
that  sense  of  gallantry  which,  with  us,  arises 
from  a  supposed  superior  physical  strength  in 
the  sterner  sex ;  and  yet  when  either  a  woman 
or  a  man  was  seen  tugging  to  get  a  package 
on  board,  which  was  too  heavy  a  lift  for  one 
person,  plenty  of  willing  hands  would  rush  up 
to  render  needed  assistance,  and  yet  this  assist- 
ance would  be  just  as  likely  to  come  from  the 
woman  as  the  man.  Their  whole  intercourse 
seemed  to  recognize  this  physical  capacity  of 
the  women,  and  probably  anything  which  would 
suggest  any  lack  in  this  regard  would  have  been 
regarded,  by  one  of  those  strapping  girls,  as  an 
affront  to  her  womanhood,  and  would  have 
required  an  apology  from  the  unlucky  swain 
chargeable  with  the  offense. 

These  women  are  good-looking,  but  not  hand- 
some according  to  our  standard  of  beauty.  Their 
hands  are  broad  and  strong,  which  must  result 
from  so  much  pulling  at  the  oars,  as  I  judge 
they  practice  from  what  I  saw,  and  their  coun- 
tenances are  bronzed,  in  summer-time  at  least, 
from  so  much  exposure ;  but  if  vigorous  health, 
a  plump  contour,  well-developed  muscles  and 


264  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

strong  limbs  are  admitted  as  elements  of  beauty, 
then,  indeed,  this  is  a  land  of  angelic  loveliness. 

But  I  saw  many  handsome  women,  and  hand- 
some men  too,  in  Norway,  according  to  the 
approved  standard  in  any  country.  Those  who 
spend  their  lives  in-doors,  and  many  are  to  be 
met  with  in  the  larger  towns,  have  very  fair  com- 
plexions, with  fine  symmetrical  features,  which 
added  to  a  glow  of  health  make  them  pos- 
itively handsome,  so  that  they  will  fairly  rank 
above  the  average  in  more  southern  countries. 

I  failed  to  find  that  degrading  filth  among 
this  people  by  which  some  other  travelers  claim 
to  have  been  so  much  disgusted,  as  well  as  the 
licentiousness  which  they  found  so  prevalent.  A 
fisherman  or  woman  cannot  be  expected  to  go 
in  broadcloth  or  silk,  nor  is  the  cleaning  and 
curing  fish  a  neat  occupation,  and  we  might 
expect  that  this  would,  to  a  certain  extent,  stamp 
itself  upon  the  habits  and  tastes  of  the  people 
engaged  in  it ;  but  those  I  came  in  contact  with 
were  not  disgustingly  filthy,  nor  were  the  fishing 
class  scrupulously  clean.  Those  huts  which  I 
entered  I  found  about  on  a  par  with  the  cabins 
of  the  peasantry  of  other  countries,  which  I  have 
nowhere  found  universally  swept  and  garnished. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  265 

Those  of  other  callings  met  in  towns  and  cities  I 
found  habitually  neat  and  clean.  The  children 
which  I  met  in  Bodo,  as  already  stated,  were 
clean  and  neatly  clad,  even  more  so  than  the 
average  children  of  the  high  and  low  to  be  met 
with  in  the  towns  and  cities  in  other  countries. 
I  went  into  a  number  of  cabins  where  I  saw 
children  at  the  windows,  to  give  them  candy,  and 
found  the  children  with  clean  faces  and  decently 
clad,  and  in  every  instance,  where  the  child  was 
old  enough  to  talk,  it  offered  its  right  hand, 
which  is  their  mode  of  expressing  thanks.  Some 
of  these  were  fishermen's  huts,  and  still  it  was 
all  the  same.  I  confess  that  our  own  children 
are  not  so  well  trained  in  what  we  may  call 
manners,  as  I  found  those  of  all  classes  in  Nor- 
way, nor  can  they  claim  anything  on  the  score 
of  cleanliness  over  those  of  the  same  walks  of 
life  there. 

The  higher  classes  were  always  well  and  taste- 
fully dressed  and  scrupulously  clean.  In  their 
houses,  so  far  as  we  entered  them,  in  their 
offices,  their  stores  and  their  shops,  there  was 
nothing  to  complain  of  and  nothing  to  desire 
on  the  score  of  cleanliness,  and  the  same  may 
be  said  of  their  streets. 


266  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

We  were  more  fortunate  than  some  others 
seem  to  have  been  in  the  selection  of  our  hotels, 
for  nowhere  in  Norway  did  we  find  a  dirty 
room,  a  dirty  bed,  a  dirty  tablecloth  or  napkin, 
or  dirty  dishes,  or  dirty  waiters.  This  was  a 
subject  of  constant  observation  among  our  party, 
and  I  thought  that  some  of  us  were  quite  as 
fastidious  as  it  is  necessary  to  be  to  insure  a 
pleasant  journey.  This  is  true  not  only  in  the 
towns  and  cities  of  Norway,  but  it  is  also  true 
of  the  stations  along  the  country  roads  where 
we  traveled.  There  are  wide  differences,  no 
doubt,  in  the  quality  of  the  entertainment  to  be 
had  at  these  stopping  places,  but  it  is  conspic- 
uous in  other  elements  than  cleanliness. 

We  frequently  compared  notes  with  other 
travelers  we  met  in  Norway,  on  this  subject, 
and  found  the  observations  of  all  to  correspond 
with  our  own. 

As  I  did  not  travel  back  in  the  country, 
among  the  bonde  or  agricultural  peasantry  in 
Norway,  of  course  I  cannot  speak  of  their 
habits  as  to  cleanliness.  Back  from  the  public 
highways,  to  which  my  observations  were  con- 
fined, the  people  may  be  filthy,  but  if  so,  we  did 
not  find  any  evidence  of  it  among  the  same 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  267 

class  of  people  who  keep  the  station-houses 
along  these  roads. 

For  the  Lapps  I  have  nothing  to  say  in  this 
regard,  but  have  already  spoken  in  reprobation 
of  their  uncleanliness,  and  have  sometimes  sus- 
pected that  some  persons  have  confounded  the 
Norwegians  and  Lapps,  or  thought  they  saw 
filthy  Norwegians  when  they  saw  dirty  Lapps. 

After  skirting  along  the  southeast  coast  of 
the  islands  and  stopping  to  land  or  take  on 
passengers  and  freight  at  each  hamlet  on  the 
way,  we  finally  turned  our  backs  upon  them 
and  sang: 

Farewell  to  The  Lofoden   Isles', 

We   have   seen  you   in   tears   and  in   smiles, 

and  bore  away  almost  due  south  toward  Bodo, 
heading  directly  for  the  west  end  of  Landegod. 
We  had  been  so  long  sailing  in  sheltered 
waters,  that  a  prospect  of  a  three  hours'  run 
across  the  fjord,  which,  with  a  southwest  wind 
rushing  from  the  Atlantic  into  its  broad  open 
mouth,  has  almost  as  bad  a  reputation  as  the 
North  Sea  itself,  made  us  inquire  of  the  captain, 
who  was  always  as  obliging  and  courteous  as 
possible,  as  to  the  prospect  of  the  weather.  He 
looked  about  him  wisely,  and  then  declared  it 


268  SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

was  all  right.  The  sky  had  become  overcast,  it 
was  true,  and  looked  dark  and  even  angry,  but 
the  frown  was  in  the  north,  and  from  there  we 
might  expect  some  more  wind,  but  we  should 
be  under  the  lee  of  the  islands,  and  should  not 
feel  it.  "  But,"  said  he,  pointing  in  the  direction 
of  the  Maelstrom,  "  let  a  gale  come  in  from  that 
direction  once,  and  it  would  curtail  the  steward's 
bills  for  this  night's  afiensmad?  The  shower 
which  had  succeeded  the  bright  sun  of  the  fore- 
noon had  expended  itself  mostly  on  the  high- 
land, but  a  breeze  had  come  up  which  was 
freshing.  Our  apprehensions,  however,  that  it 
might  blow  so  as  to  make  our  position  uncom- 
fortable proved  groundless,  and  we  really  had  a 
very  fine  sail  across  the  fjord.  Indeed  by  the 
time  we  came  within  a  few  miles  of  the  coast 
islands,  the  wind  died  out,  the  clouds  dispersed, 
and  we  had  as  beautiful  an  evening  sun  as  we 
had  seen  within  the  Arctic  Circle. 

As  we  moved  along,  the  high  islands  to  the 
east  of  us  seemed  to  be  constantly  changing 
position,  and  the  reflections  of  the  sun  from^ 
their  bald  heads,  or  grassy  or  shrubby  sides, 
were  constantly  varying ;  sometimes  one  would 
throw  a.  shade  upon  another,  leaving  a  dark  sec- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  269 

tion  on  either  side,  of  which  the  most  brilliant 
colors  would  be  sent  back.  But  the  view  was 
momentary,  when  it  would  be  thrown  out  of 
sight  and  new  vistas  would  open  and  new  beau- 
ties were  unfolded,  and  so  were  we  treated  to  a 
moving  panorama  the  most  grand  and  beautiful 
it  is  possible  to  conceive.  What  with  the  lights 
and  shades  and  shifting  scenes,  it  was  the  most 
gorgeous  display  I  saw  in  Norway,  and,  I  may 
add,  have  ever  seen. 

While  admiring  this  grand  view,  I  noticed 
that  the  course  of  the  ship  was  changed  more 
to  the  east,  so  as  to  take  us  on  the  east  side 
of  Landegod.  The  captain  went  immediately  to 
the  pilot,  and  I  saw  they  were  in  an  earnest 
conversation,  which  did  not  appear  to  me  much 
like  a  conference.  Soon  the  captain  seemed  to 
almost  drag  the  pilot  to  his  room  on  deck,  where 
he  unrolled  the  chart  and  pointed  at  parts  of  it 
quickly,  and  spoke  sharply  and  rapidly.  This 
continued  for  perhaps  two  minutes,  when  the 
pilot  came  out  as  quickly  as  his  sluggish  nature 
would  permit  —  he  seemed  incapable  of  any  ex- 
citement —  and  changed  the  course  more  westerly 
than  before,  but  when  we  had  reached  within 
half  a  mile  of  the  island,  she  was  brought  around 


270  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

sharp  to  the  east,  and  entered  the  inner  channel 
east  of  the  island. 

After  we  had  got  inside,  I  questioned  the  cap- 
tain as  to  the  character  of  the  navigation  of  the 
fjord.  He  informed  me  that  in  general  the  water 
is  excellent,  but  there  are  some  sunken  reefs 
along  near  the  islands,  and  it  was  to  avoid  one 
of  these  that  he  had  insisted  on  the  pilot's  keep- 
ing further  west  than  he  had  chosen.  I  then 
inquired  whether  the  pilot  had  the  right  to  con- 
trol the  course  of  the  vessel  ?  "  Yes,"  said  he, 
"  theoretically  he  has,  but  no  pilot  shall  run  me 
on  the  rocks,  if  I  know  it,  while  I  command  the 
ship.  I  piloted  here  while  he  was  catching  cod- 
fish. There  are  many  sunken  rocks,  some  of 
which  are  not  well  marked  on  the  chart,  and 
my  business  is  to  keep  clear  of  them,  whether 
the  pilot  would  avoid  them  or  not.  Suppose 
he  is  running  me  right  on  that  island,  am  I  to 
stand  still  and  see  him  do  it  ?  There  may  be 
exceptional  cases  of  which  owners  do  not  think 
when  they  make  their  general  rules,  and  this 
was  one.  Had  he  refused  to  follow  my  judg- 
ment, I  would  have  deposed  him  and  done  it 
myself.  He  thought  we  had  passed  the  rocks 
when  he  changed  her  course  and  headed  her 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  271 

right  to  them,"  and  he  really  became  excited 
again.  But  we  were  now  safe  inside,  and  all 
was  going  on  smoothly. 

The  most  remarkable  feature  connected  with 
this  really  dangerous  coast,  which  is  navigated 
through  the  long  night  of  winter,  is  the  entire 
absence  of  light-houses,  where  any  other  mari- 
time power  would  have  had  hundreds.  There 
are  a  very  few  low  monuments,  painted  white, 
used  for  the  purpose  of  light-houses,  but  I  did 
not  see  more  than  four  of  these  on  the  whole 
coast,  and  I  was  told  that  there  is  the  same  want 
on  the  outer  side  of  the  islands,  where  it  is 
much  more  urgent,  to  enable  vessels  coming  in 
from  the  sea,  especially  strangers,  to  make  a 
safe  entry.  They  may  beat  about  for  an  indefi- 
nite time,  on  the  dangerous  coast,  waiting  for  a 
pilot,  or  take  the  risk  of  being  wrecked  trying  to 
feel  their  way  in.  Even  a  few  at  the  principal 
entries  would  be  a  great  help,  but  if  there  are 
any,  I  could  not  learn  it.  The  want  of  them 
must  vastly  advance  insurance.* 

*  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  been  told  by  a  gentleman  fa- 
miliar with  the  coast,  that  there  are  several  light-houses  along  our 
route,  but  as  they  are  built  like  other  houses,  and  painted  yellow, 
they  escape  the  notice  of  the  traveler.  He  also  informs  me  that 
there  are  several  of  the  first  order  on  the  outside  coast.  Our  pilot 
did  not  mention  this  when  questioned  on  the  subject. 


272  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening  we  dropped 
anchor  before  Bodo ;  but  a  twinge  in  the  loin 
on  the  left  side  reminded  me  that  I  had  no 
business  on  shore  there,  and  admonished  me 
especially  to  avoid  Bodo  boats  and  Bodo  boys 
in  charge  of  them ;  so  I  turned  in  for  as  good 
a  sleep  as  I  might  anticipate  on  the  narrow 
settee,  where  I  could  not  turn  one  way  or  the 
other  without  help,  and  in  perpetual  sunlight, 
which  had  now  become  more  and  more  monot- 
onous. 

In  the  course  of  the  following  morning  we 
passed  the  island  of  Hestmando,  or  Horseman's 
Island,  which  has  already  been  mentioned  on 
our  way  north.  It  has,  perhaps,  more  interest 
to  the  traveler  from  the  fact  that  the  Arctic 
Circle  passes  over  it,  and  so  serves  as  an  ever- 
enduring  monument  to  mark  that  important  geo- 
graphical point,  than  from  the  romantic  legend 
connected  with  it. 

Of  course  all  were  on  deck  to  study  the  sur- 
roundings, and  the  captain  amused  himself  vastly 
by  endeavoring  to  make  the  green  ones  see  the 
imaginary  line  down  the  face  of  the  mountain, 
or  the  Arctic  Circle,  as  it  wound  around  the 
highest  peak.  It  was  a  great  thing  to  tell,  when 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  273 

they  should  get  home,  that  they  had  seen  the 
Arctic  Circle,  and  so  they  did  see  it,  as  plainly 
as  if  one  of  the  ancient  giants  had  drawn  a  great 
charcoal  line  across  the  mountain,  which  had 
ever  since  remained  distinct.  It  is  wonderful 
how  much  travelers  can  see  if  they  will  but 
open  their  eyes  wide  enough. 

But  we  were  running  rapidly  along,  and  soon 
the  arctic  world  was  left  behind.  We  were 
below  66°  30'  15",  and  yet  we  did  not  suffer 
from  the  heat  so  soon  as  we  passed  from  the 
frigid  zone  !  The  snow  had  greatly  disappeared 
since  our  passage  north,  still  it  was  abundant 
everywhere  on  the  higher  ground,  but  the  most 
astonishing  feature  was  the  increase  of  vegeta- 
tion which  was  everywhere  apparent. 

For  some  time  longer  we  pursued  our  old 
course,  and  then  turned  sharply  to  the  left  and 
took  a  due-east  course  up  a  fjord  which  took 
us  directly  in  among  the  mountains,  whose  pre- 
cipitous walls  bounded  the  waters,  each  head- 
land passed  presenting  new  scenery,  only  more 
grand  and  imposing  than  that  which  we  had 
left  behind. 

These  Norwegian  fjords  are  long,  narrow  bays, 

which  seem  to  occupy  great  clefts  in  the  mount- 

18 


274  A   SUMMEJt  IN  NORWAY. 

ains,  through  which  the  tides  set  sometimes 
with  fearful  violence,  where  partial  obstructions 
are  met. 

The  lakes  in  Norway  present  similar  geo- 
graphical and  topographical  features.  They  are 
scattered  through  the  mountains  in  long,  nar- 
row crevices  which  seem  to  have  been  opened 
by  internal  forces,  or  great  convulsions  which 
burst  the  mountains  asunder,  leaving  great 
chasms  with  nearly  vertical  walls.  Into  these 
the  mountain  streams  discharge  themselves,  and 
being  thus  filled  with  water,  constitute  these 
long,  narrow  lakes,  of  great  depth  generally,  and 
many  of  them  high  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
Many  of  these  are  connected  by  rivers,  forming 
a  chain  of  lakes  reaching  far  back  into  the 
country.  This  is  more  conspicuously  the  case 
on  the  Swedish  side  of  the  mountains,  where 
the  distance  to  the  sea  gives  a  longer  sweep  for 
the  drainage.  All  these  lakes  abound  in  fish, 
which  enables  the  Lapps  to  enjoy  a  varied  diet. 

Hemna^sbjerg,  though  not  yet  at  the  head  of 
the  fjord,  was  the  extent  of  our  eastern  course. 
Thence  we  returned  till  we  touched  our  old 
route,  when  almost  immediately  we  left  it  again 
and  skirted  along  on  the  east  side  of  a  large 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  275 

island,  and  then  crossed  it  again  and  run  out  to 
the  west  of  it.  Indeed  more  than  half  the  way 
on  our  return  voyage  was  over  new  ground,  pre- 
senting new  views  and  new  towns  for  our  study. 

Were  I  to  stop  and  describe  every  new  im- 
pression and  new  scene  in  this  wild  country,  it 
would  become  intolerably  tedious ;  it  would  seem 
but  a  repetition  of  what  had  gone  before,  and 
there  is  a  lack  of  language  to  follow  the  ever- 
varying  shades,  and  no  description  can  present 
the  object  to  the  mind  as  it  impresses  when 
looked  upon.  Describe  it  as  we  may,  in  the 
reader's  mind  it  is  run  together  and  becomes 
confused,  and  a  sameness  pervades  the  whole, 
while  he  who  sees  it  so  individualizes  the  feat- 
ures that  each  new  scene  has  its  peculiar  beau- 
ties, and  leaves  its  peculiar  stamp  upon  the 
memory,  which  it  is  true  may  fade  and  become 
faint  in  time,  at  least  in  many  of  its  peculiari- 
ties, still,  going  over  them  again,  as  I  have  now, 
is,  in  fact,  enjoying  the  journey  anew. 

He  who  would  enjoy  travel  to  the  utmost 
and  to  the  greatest  profit,  must  not  only  see  as 
far  as  possible  all  that  comes  within  his  view, 
but  he  must  ruminate  over  it  and  digest  it,  so 
that  it  will  stay  by  him  and  become  a  part  of 


276  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY, 

memory  itself.  The  oftener  the  mind  runs  back 
over  the  incidents  of  the  day,  the  week  or  the 
month,  the  oftener  will  he  enjoy  the  journey 
again,  and  the  more  it  becomes  fixed  in  the 
mind,  and  so  may  he  often  be  delighted  with 
the  pleasing  recollections.  The  quicker  he  for- 
gets the  annoyances,  the  vexations  and  all  the 
unpleasant  features,  no  doubt  the  better,  but  in 
spite  of  himself  these  are  sure  to  come  up  too 
often,  but  then  he  must  stand  it  as  he  had  to 
do  at  the  first. 

On  the  fourth  day  from  Tromso  we  reached 
Trondhjem  in  the  afternoon,  after  an  absence  of 
over  three  weeks,  which  has  left  as  many  pleas- 
ing impressions  on  my  mind  as  any  journey  I 
have  ever  made.  I  found  no  Yosemite  Valley 
there,  and  nothing  which  can  be  justly  compared 
with  it,  nor  have  I  elsewhere,  but  for  the  great 
extent  of  varied,  grand  and  beautiful  scenery,  I 
have  nowhere  met  the  equal. 

But  it  was  not  in  the  scenery  alone  that  I 
was  interested  in  arctic  Norway.  The  people, 
their  habits,  their  industries,  their  social  relations, 
their  mental  endowments,  their  advancement,  their 
religion,  and  their  institutions,  all  have  elements 
of  interest  worthy  the  study  of  the  observant 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  277 

traveler ;  and  then  the  capabilities  of  the  land 
and  of  the  water  must  not  be  overlooked,  for 
they  are  the  great  questions  which  determine 
the  habitable  qualities  of  a  country. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 


ATTEMPTED  IMPOSITION;  I  RESIST  AND  DEFEAT  IT;  AMERICAN 
WEAKNESS  IN  SUCH  MATTERS;  THE  LANDLORD;  CONTINUED 
RAIN,  AND  NO  DARKNESS  YET;  ENVIRONS  OF  TRONDHJEM;  COM- 
FORTABLE CONDITION  OF  THE  PEOPLE;  MODE  OF  CURING  HAY; 
NORWEGIAN  SCYTHE;  WOMEN  IN  THE  FIELDS;  OVERLAND  TRAV- 
EL; LEGAL  REGULATIONS;  THE  CARRIOLE  SYSTEM;  THE  VEHICLE 
AND  HARNESS;  ENGAGE  A  CARRIAGE  FOR  MY  PARTY;  THE  CON- 
TRACT, AND  ARRANGEMENTS;  LEAVE  TRONDHJEM;  THE  RAILWAY 
TO  STOREN;  NORWEGIAN  STRAWBERRIES;  STOREN. 

WE  landed  at  Trondhjem,  and  went  to  the 
Hotel  d'Angleterre,  where  I  had  rooms 
engaged.  I  had  sent  our  baggage  from  the 
wharf  to  the  hotel  on  one  of  those  little  carts, 
and  was  soon  waited  upon  by  the  clerk,  who 
spoke  English  imperfectly,  who  stated  that  the 
man  with  the  cart  wanted  six  marks  for  bring- 
ing up  the  trunks.  As  we  had  paid  but  a  mark 
and  a  half  for  taking  the  same  luggage  to  the 
steamer,  I  asked  him  if  that  was  not  too  much. 
He  said  it  was,  but  that  was  the  man's  price. 
I  then  told  him  to  tell  the  landlord  to  pay 
him  a  reasonable  price  and  no  more.  He  paid 
him  the  six  marks.  The  next  day  the  drayman 

called    with    a    claim    of   six    marks    for   bringing 

(279) 


280  A   SUMMEX  IN  NORWAY. 

my  baggage  to  the  hotel  on  our  first  arrival 
from  the  Tasso.  I  now  saw  that  the  reputation 
of  American  travelers,  which  is  to  pay  every 
claim  for  services,  no  matter  how  extortionate, 
without  remonstrance,  rather  than  to  have  a  fuss, 
for  fear  they  might  be  thought  little,  had  even 
reached  Norway,  and  I  resolved  to  '  fight  it  out 
on  that  line,  if  it  took  me  all  summer',  as  a  mat- 
ter of  principle. 

Hattram,  my  interpreter,  had  stopped  at 
Leuvik  to  visit  his  father,  who  lived  at  his 
native  place  far  up  the  fjord.  He  had  made 
the  bargain  with  the  boatman  to  bring  us  from 
the  ship  and  our  baggage  to  the  hotel  for  six 
marks,  which  he  had  paid.  Now  as  he  was  not 
here  to  prove  the  bargain,  this  claim  was  set 
up.  I  asked  the  cartman  why  he  had  not  pre- 
sented the  claim  before  I  had  left ;  but  I  could 
get  no  satisfactory  answer  to  this.  I  refused  to 
pay  it.  He  came  the  next  day  and  insisted  that 
the  boatman  had  not  paid  him.  We  got  up  a 
nice  little  scene,  and  several  gentlemen  who  could 
speak  English  better  than  the  clerk,  took  an 
interest  in  the  matter  and  acted  at  first  as 
interpreters,  and  then  as  advocates,  and  then  as 
advisers,  and  insisted  that  it  was  a  clear  case 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  281 

of  imposition,  which  was  a  disgrace  to  their 
country,  and  that  I  should  not  pay  a  skilling.  I 
requested  him  to  find  the  boatman  and  bring 
him,  and  if  he  had  not  paid  him  I  would  make 
him  do  so.  The  next  day  he  brought  the  boat- 
man, and  in  two  minutes  I  saw  it  was  a  put 
up  job  between  them. 

I  asked  him  if  he  had  paid  that  man  for 
bringing  up  that  baggage.  After  much  hesita- 
tion he  said  he  had  not.  I  asked  him  if  Hat- 
tram  did  not  pay  him  six  marks  for  me.  He 
said  he  did.  Then  did  he  not  agree,  for  the 
six  marks,  to  bring  us  ashore  and  deliver  the 
baggage  to  the  hotel  ?  Hesitatingly  he  said  no. 
Then  what  was  the  six  marks  paid  for?  Only 
for  bringing  us  from  the  ship  to  the  wharf,  was 
the  reply,  which  was  obtained  after  much  press- 
ing and  much  evasion.  I  then  asked  if  that 
was  the  price  he  charged  Hattram  for  that  ser- 
vice. At  last  he  said  it  was.  I  then  asked  him 
how  much  the  law  allowed  him  for  bringing  four 
passengers  and  four  packages  in  the  boat.  He 
did  not  seem  to  know.  I  then  asked  if  that 
was  not  the  number  he  brought  for  me,  and  he 
admitted  it  was.  I  then  asked  him  if  the  law 
did  not  fix  his  fare  at  four  skillings  for  each 


282  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

passenger  and  two  skillings  for  each  trunk,  and 
he  finally  admitted  that  it  was  so.  I  then  asked 
him  if  all  that  did  not  come  to  twenty-four 
skillings,  or  one  mark,  and  he  at  last  assented 
to  this  obvious  fact.  I  then  asked  him  why  he 
had  charged  me  six  marks  for  a  service  for 
which  the  law  only  allowed  him  one,  and  from 
that  time  on  not  another  word  could  be  got  out 
of  his  mouth. 

I  put  this  interview  into  writing,  and  got  the 
landlord,  who  had  acted  as  interpreter,  to  put 
his  name  to  it.  I  then  told  the  fellow  that  un- 
less he  paid  the  drayman  to  his  full  satisfaction, 
I  would  see  that  he  was  prosecuted.  I  then 
asked  him  if  he  would  do  so,  and  finally,  with 
great  reluctance,  he  promised  he  would.  So 
ended  this  interview,  which  I  supposed  would 
be  the  last  of  it. 

The  matter  had  become  noised  abroad,  and 
several  citizens,  whose  acquaintance  I  had  made, 
expressed  much  regret  and  mortification  that  it 
had  occurred,  and  declared  that  it  was  the  first 
instance  in  which  they  had  heard  of  that  kind 
of  extortion  attempted  upon  travelers.  One,  in 
particular,  in  the  book-store  —  I  wish  I  knew  his 
name  —  desired  me  to  furnish  him  with  the  facts, 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  283 

and  he  would  take  it  upon  himself  to  see  that 
the  matter  should  be  prosecuted  to  the  bitter 
end,  and  the  disgraceful  practice  nipped  in  the 
bud,  for  he  felt  the  honor  of  the  place  and  coun- 
try was  involved.  I  promised  to  do  so  if  I  heard 
any  more  of  it. 

The  next  day  my  drayman  came  back,  and 
said  the  boatman  would  only  give  him  a  mark 
and  a  half,  and  wanted  me  to  pay  him  more. 
Now,  although  the  fee  of  the  drayman  is  not 
fixed  by  law  as  is  that  of  the  boatman,  yet  I 
had  already  learned  that  a  mark  and  a  half  was 
a  fair  price  for  the  service,  and  he  was  only  dis- 
satisfied that  the  boatman  had  not  divided  with 
him  the  extortion.  I  then  told  him  to  begone, 
as  I  should  pay  him  no  more. 

I  added  this  to  the  former  statement,  and 
went  and  gave  it  to  my  friend  at  the  book- 
store, thus  furnishing  him  with  the  facts  and 
the  means  of  proving  them  after  I  should  be 
gone.  What  he  did  with  it  I  have  never  learned. 

Of  course  I  had  twenty  times  as  much 
trouble  and  vexation  in  the  matter  as  the  small 
amount  involved  was  worth,  but  I  thought  if  it 
were  true  that  I  was  the  first  traveler  thus 
sought  to  be  victimized  by  a  class  correspond- 


284  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

ing  to  our  hackmen,  who  are  noted  as  swin- 
dlers throughout  the  civilized  world,  I  resolved 
to  give  them  as  little  encouragement  as  possible 
to  complete  their  accomplishment  in  that  branch 
of  education  in  their  business. 

English  travelers  are  pertinacious  of  their 
rights,  not  from  penuriousness,  but  from  prin- 
ciple ;  and  there  was  comparatively  little  of  that 
petty  swindling  of  travelers  till  Americans  over- 
ran Europe,  when  it  was  found  that  they  rather 
enjoyed  to  be  victimized,  and,  of  course,  they 
found  plenty  to  accommodate  them ;  but  it  has 
introduced  a  sort  of  demoralization  from  which 
all  travelers  suffer  to  a  great  extent.  Still, 
Americans  are  singled  out  as  the  softest  sub- 
jects. How  long  it  will  be  before  this  is  under- 
stood in  Norway  as  well  as  it  now  is  in  Paris, 
in  Baden  Baden,  or  in  Rome,  it  is  not  easy  to 
say.  It  will  probably  depend  upon  the  circum- 
stance whether  this  shall  become  a  popular 
route  for  American  travel.  If  it  was  tried  on 
me  first,  I  have  endeavored  to  do  my  duty  as 
well  to  the  people  of  the  country,  who  would 
feel  the  prevalence  of  such  practices  their  re- 
proach, as  to  those  travelers  who  shall  come 
after  me. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  285 

I  take  great  pleasure  in  saying  that  it  was 
the  only  instance  I  met  in  Norway  when  I 
thought  there  was  a  real  attempt  to  impose 
upon  me. 

I  can't  help  thinking  that  the  landlord  of  my 
hotel  did  very  wrong  to  pay  a  bill  for  me 
which  he  knew  to  be  extravagant,  when  it  was 
his  duty  to  see  that  I  was  not  imposed  upon ; 
but  I  have  tried  to  excuse  him  in  my  own 
mind,  by  the  assumption  that  charges  there  are 
so  uniformly  reasonable  and  just  that  they  do 
not  know  how  to  dispute  a  bill  when  they 
know  it  is  unjust.  I  advise  him  hereafter  to 
see  to  it  that  his  guests  are  not  victimized,  at 
least  with  his  concurrence,  for  it  leaves  a  recol- 
lection not  so  fragrant  as  one  would  wish.  It 
is  not  a  good  advertisement  for  a  hotel.  I 
have  probably  said  as  much  about  this  case  as 
the  good  of  those  who  shall  follow  me  into  this 
northern  country  may  require,  and  so  I  leave  it. 

The  four  days  we  spent  in  Trondhjem  on 
our  return  we  found  less  pleasant  than  we  an- 
ticipated, on  account  of  the  rain,  more  of  which 
we  experienced  during  that  time  than  we  had 
seen  during  the  whole  time  we  had  spent  within 
the  Arctic  Circle. 


286  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

We  had  hoped  to  see  some  darkness  here, 
as  no  artificial  light  had  been  lit  either  on  a 
steamer  or  in  a  house  where  we  had  been,  but 
even  in  this  we  were  all  disappointed.  One 
great  object  of  our  stay  was  rest,  and  we  were 
all  blessed  with  good  appetites  for  sleep  —  we 
went  to  bed  early  and  slept  well  in  the  morn- 
ings, so  that  if  there  was  any  night  there  we 
did  not  see  it,  nor  for  a  week  later.  In  fact, 
we  had  no  artificial  light  and  saw  no  darkness 
till  we  reached  Lillehammer,  and  then  it  was 
more  gloom  than  darkness  —  more  a  deep 
shadow  than  night. 

We,  notwithstanding,  found  sufficient  pleasant 
weather  during  our  stay  at  Trondhjem  to  visit 
the  surrounding  country,  and  to  marvel  at  the 
wonderful  growth  of  vegetation  during  our  ab- 
sence of  less  than  a  month.  Before,  the  country 
seemed  barren  and  naked ;  now  it  was  verdant 
and  beautiful.  All  the  hills  around  were  green 
to  their  summits.  Up  the  valley  of  the  Nid 
is  as  beautiful  a  farming  country  as  one  would 
wish  to  look  at  anywhere.  Snug  farm-houses 
and  barns  greet  one  at  every  turn.  Thrift  and 
industry  are  everywhere  evident.  Prosperity  and 
contentment  evidently  reside  in  that  valley. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  287 

Where  before  the  grass  had  not  sufficiently 
started  to  relieve  it  from  the  appearance  of  a 
barren  waste,  we  saw  an  American  mowing  ma- 
chine -behind  three  sturdy  ponies  slashing  down 
a  good  crop  of  grass,  and  the  cultivated  crops 
seemed  to  have  made  an  equally  rapid  progress. 

Already  in  the  Arctic  Circle  I  had  been 
struck  with  the  manner  of  curing  their  hay, 
and  I  found  the  same  mode  practiced  without 
an  exception  till  after  we  passed  the  Dovre  Fjeld, 
and  after  that  generally,  though  not  universally, 
down  the  valley  of  the  Laagan  river.  This  is 
no  doubt  rendered  necessary  by  reason  of  the 
frequent  showers  to  which  the  grass  is  ex- 
posed, and  the  little  heat  received  from  the 
sun's  rays  by  reason  of  their  striking  the 
earth  so  obliquely,  which  is  not  compensated 
by  their  perpetual  action. 

The  hay  is  not  cured  upon  the  ground  where 
it  is  cut,  but  instead,  is  hung  up  to  dry.  Strong 
stakes  are  set  into  the  ground  about  six  feet 
high  and  perhaps  fifteen  feet  apart;  these  are  sup- 
ported by  braces  set  in  the  ground  and  leaning 
against  their  tops.  Into  these  posts  pins  are  in- 
serted about  a  foot  or  fifteen  inches  apart,  on 
which  long,  slender  poles  are  laid.  On  these 


288  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

poles  the  newly  mown  grass  is  spread,  hanging 
down  on  either  side,  the  lower  pole  being  first 
covered  and  then  the  next,  and  so  on  up,  till  the 
whole  is  completed;  that  on  a  lower  pole  being 
always  overlapped  by  that  on  the  one  next  above 
it.  In  this  position  it  readily  sheds  the  rain  and 
is  exposed  to  the  utmost  action  of  the  sun  and 
wind,  so  that  no  matter  how  succulent  the  grass 
may  be,  it  is  rapidly  dried  to  the  condition  of 
hay.  These  hay-racks,  which  at  a  little  distance 
look  like  green  hedges  stuck  about  the  meadows, 
were  to  me  an  interesting  feature. 

With  the  simple  exception  before  mentioned, 
all  the  hay  I  saw  was  cut  with  the  scythe.  This 
implement  is  shorter  than  with  us  but  similarly 
shaped,  and  is  attached  to  a  straight  handle  in- 
stead of  a  crooked  snath  as  in  this  country ;  with 
us  both  handles  are  placed  on  the  upper  side  of 
the  crooked  snath,  inclining  well  forward.  There, 
with  the  straight  snath,  the  lower  handle  is  placed 
like  ours,  but  the  upper  handle  is  placed  on  the 
lower  side,  and  inclined  backwards.  This  con- 
strains the  workman  to  keep  his  left  arm  always 
bent.  In  some  places  I  saw  them  mowing  grass 
which  did  not  seem  to  be  more  than  three  inches 


NORWEGIAN   CARRIOLE. 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  289 

high,  but  the  tool  seemed  to  be  very  sharp,  and 
they  shaved  it  to  the  very  ground. 

Everywhere,  I  saw  more  women  at  work  in  the 
hay-fields  than  men ;  in  but  a  few  instances  only 
were  they  mowing,  when  they  seemed  to  keep  up 
their  swathes  with  the  men  without  trouble.  (I 
wonder  if  they  got  the  same  wages.)  They  were 
generally  engaged  in  raking  up  the  hay  and  plac- 
ing it  on  the  racks  to  dry,  or  hauling  it  away; 
generally  with  a  single  pony  on  a  sort  of  cart. 

As  our  next  journey  was  over  the  Dovre  Fjeld 
to  Lillehammer  and  thence  to  Christiana,  prepara- 
tions for  that  had  to  be  made.  The  usual  mode 
of  public  land  travel  in  Norway  is  by  carriole, 
which  is  systematized  and  regulated  by  law. 

On  all  the  principal  routes  through  Norway, 
public  stations  are  established  from  six  to  fifteen 
miles  apart  —  remember  I  speak  of  English  miles. 
These  are  of  two  classes,  fast  and  slow  stations ; 
on  the  most  traveled  routes  they  are  fast  stations, 
while  on  the  more  unfrequented  routes  they  are 
slow  stations.  At  the  fast  stations  the  station- 
master  is  bound  to  keep  a  specified  number  of 
horses  and  carrioles  for  the  use  of  travelers ;  at 
the  slow  stations  horses  are  not  required  to  be 

kerjt   ready  for  travelers,  but  the   farmers   in   the 

19 


290  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

neighborhood  are  obliged  to  furnish  horses  for 
the  use  of  travelers ;  on  these  latter  routes  trav- 
elers are  obliged  to  wait,  after  arriving  at  a  sta- 
tion, till  word  can  be  sent  to  the  farmer,  perhaps 
five  or  six  miles  away,  who,  no  matter  how  press- 
ing his  own  work,  is  obliged  to  stop  his  team 
at  once  and  send  it  away  to  the  station.  To 
avoid  this  delay,  the  traveler  may,  for  a  fixed 
price,  send  ahead  a  forbud,  or  messenger,  to  order 
horses  to  be  ready,  and  thus  avoid  delay. 

At  every  station  is  kept  a  dag-bog  or  day- 
book, in  the  front  of  which  is  a  statement  of 
the  number  of  horses  which  are  required  to  be 
kept  at  that  station.  This  of  course  depends 
much  on  the  length  of  the  route  over  which  they 
have  to  travel.  In  this  book  travelers  may  enter 
any  complaints  they  may  have  to  make  against 
any  one,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  a  public  officer, 
who  goes  over  the  route  and  examines  the  books 
at  times  required  by  law,  to  adopt  such  meas- 
ures as  will  prevent  a  repetition  of  the  evil.  In 
this  book  travelers  are  expected  to  register  their 
names,  and  are  at  liberty  to  make  any  remarks, 
not  impertinent,  which  they  see  fit,  as  connected 
with  their  journey,  the  country,  or  the  people. 

The    first    business    of    a    traveler    when    he 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  291 

arrives  at  a  station  is  to  make  an  entry  of  the 
number  of  horses  which  he  requires,  and  the 
station-master  is  obliged  to  furnish  them  in  the 
order  there  entered.  If  the  horses  are  all  out, 
then  you  must  wait  till  some  come  in,  and  then 
they  must  be  allowed  half  an  hour  to  rest  before 
they  are  sent  out  again. 

By  looking  at  the  orders  entered,  and  com- 
paring them  with  the  number  of  horses  required 
to  be  kept,  you  can  readily  verify  the  state- 
ment of  the  station-master  who  claims  that  all 
the  horses  are  out. 

When  there  is  a  press  of  travel,  and  espe- 
cially in  the  latter  part  of  the  day,  this  system 
produces  sometimes  amusing  scenes  at  the  sta- 
tions, and  sometimes  along  the  road.  Four  or 
five  carrioles  may  be  traveling  in  company  and 
may  find  themselves  delayed  by  a  party  in  front. 
They  will  select  the  best  driver  and  horse  and 
send  him  ahead  if  possible  to  get  by  the  'others 
and  make  the  first  entry  in  the  book  for  all-  his 
party.  Both  may  arrive  at  the  station  at  the 
same  time,  at  break-neck  speed,  when  there  is  a 
simultaneous  rush  for  the  book,  and  the  nimblest 
wins  the  day,  and  then  his  party  will  be  sent  off 


292  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

first,  while  the  others  may  be  delayed  an  hour 
or  two  for  other  horses  to  arrive  and  feed. 

While  the  traveler  drives  himself  he  is  liable 
for  all  damages  if  he  over-drives  the  horse  and 
injures  him,  and  so,  as  a  general  thing,  they  heed 
the  suggestion  of  the  skyds-gut  or  post-boy. 

The  carriole  is  a  vehicle  with  long  shafts,  two 
large  wheels,  and  a  little  shell-shaped  seat  for 
one  person,  and  a  board  seat  behind  for  the  post- 
boy. 

Those  furnished  at  stations  have  no  springs, 
but  are  placed  directly  on  the  shafts,  which, 
however,  from  their  length  and  elasticity  relieve 
the  jolts  very  much.  The  harnesses  are  gener- 
ally the  poorest  apologies  imaginable,  frequently 
with  an  attempt  at  ornamentation  on  the  saddle. 
Clothes-lines  invariably  constitute  the  lines ;  the 
hames  are  wooden  collars  without  padding,  and 
the  whole  tied  together  with  innumerable  strings, 
and  you  would  suppose  the  thing  would  shake 
off  the  horse  every  minute.  I  have  seen  on  our 
extreme  frontier,  harness  similarly  patched  and 
tied,  with  which  an  old  horse  was  attached  to  a 
plow ;  except  that  in  Norway  they  have  no  traces 
to  their  harness,  and  the  draft  is  by  the  shafts 
alone.  A  hole  is  made  through  the  shaft  near 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  293 

the  end  ;  through  this  a  loop  a  few  inches  long, 
and  attached  to  the  hame,  is  passed,  and  through 
this  loop  a  toggle  is  thrust,  and  then  the  hitch- 
ing up  is  done. 

Where  more  than  one  horse  is  used,  an  extra 
shaft  is  attached,  and  another  still  if  three  are 
worked  abreast  The  rigidity  of  this  attachment 
is  very  hard  on  the  horses,  but  then  they  are 
tough  little  fellows  and  do  not  seem  to  mind  it. 

The  law  fixes  a  separate  charge  for  the  horse 
and  the  carriole,  so  the  traveler  can  take  one  or 
both  as  he  likes.  If  he  depends  on  the  station 
for  the  carriole  he  must  change  at  every  station. 
A  large  proportion  of  travelers  prefer  to  take 
their  own  carrioles  and  harness,  which  they  can 
hire  at  Christiana  or  Trondhjem,  or  other  start- 
ing point,  generally  at  a  reasonable  price,  and 
this  arrangement  should  be  sure  to  stipulate  for 
leather  or  strap  lines,  as  it  is  intolerably  hard 
work  to  drive  with  rope  lines. 

The  most  extraordinary  feature  of  all  this 
carriole  system  of  travel,  is,  the  horses  must 
travel  twice  over  the  road  to  earn  one  fare. 
Each  station  must  send  away  all  comers,  but 
must  bring  no  one  to  the  station,  unless  by 
the  order  of  the  station-master  when  the  trav- 


294  A   SUMMER  IN  NOR W 'AY. 

eler  is  to  start  on  the  next  route.  If,  how- 
ever, a  station-master  at  a  fast  station  chooses, 
he  may  detain  horses  which  arrive  at  his  station 
from  another  fast  station,  two  hours,  to  take  a 
traveler  back,  but  in  that  event  the  horse  may 
be  allowed  one  hour's  rest  before  he  is  sent 
back.  When  the  post-boy  has  been  detained  by 
the  station-master  to  take  back  a  passenger,  he 
is  entitled  to  the  first  traveler  that  arrives  wish- 
ing to  proceed.  Unless  the  station-master  orders 
the  returning  horse  to  take  back  a  passenger  — 
and  I  met  with  no  instance  where  it  was  done, 
for  it  diminishes  the  revenue  of  the  station  —  no 
matter  what  the  emergency,  they  must  inevi- 
tably go  back  empty.  On  several  occasions  we 
had  to  wait  for  horses  to  come  in  and  be  fed, 
while  others  were  starting  without  loads  on  the 
road  we  were  to  go.  We  frequently  overtook 
gangs  of  half-a-dozen  or  more  led  horses  on  the 
road ;  and  at  one  time  they  bothered  u's  very 
much  getting  in  front  of  our  team,  and  kick- 
ing if  pressed  too  hard. 

This  unnecessary  double  work  for  single  pay 
was  altogether  the  most  senseless  thing  I  saw 
in  Norway.  Although  constantly  inquiring  why 
this  was  so,  and  no  doubt  making  myself  ridic- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  295 

ulous  a  thousand  times  by  suggesting  how  we 
would  do  it  in  America,  not  a  word  of  reason 
for  it  did  I  ever  hear.  I  have  met  with  some 
who  have  been  forwarded  by  detained  horses, 
but  from  what  I  saw  I  am  sure  it  is  not  com- 
mon. This  carriole  system  is  peculiarly  a  Norsk 
institution,  and  is  probably  of  considerable  an- 
tiquity, and  was  no  doubt  so  started  in  the  be- 
ginning, perhaps  under  the  notion  that  it  was 
too  bad  to  make  a  horse  pull  a  load  both  ways. 

The  charges  fixed  by  law  are  not  uniform 
for  a  given  distance,  and  are  sometimes  more 
one  way  than  the  other,  so  that  a  specific 
charge  is  fixed  for  each  route.  They  will  aver- 
age for  one  Norwegian  mile,  or  seven  English 
miles,  one  and  a  half  marks  for  the  horse,  four 
skillings  for  the  post-boy,  and  six  skillings  for 
the  carriole  —  or  say  a  little  less  than  five  cents 
per  English  mile  of  our  money. 

As  some  of  my  party  were  unable  to  travel 
in  a  carriole,  it  was  found  necessary  to  provide 
some  other  conveyance.  Fortunately,  I  found 
a  man  who  had  several  carriages,  and  who  makes 
it  his  business  to  convey  passengers  across  the 
country,  wherever  they  may  wish  to  go,  de- 
pending upon  the  station  horses,  and  keeping 


296  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

none  of  his  own.  He  showed  me  his  best  car- 
riage, which  was  in  town,  and  it  was  the  best 
public  conveyance  I  saw  in  Norway,  seating  four 
inside  comfortably,  and  a  seat  outside  with  the 
driver.  It  had  a  top  which  could  be  let  down 
or  set  up,  as  desired.  Mr.  Rose  —  that  was  his 
name  —  could  not  speak  a  word  of  English,  but 
through  an  interpreter  I  closed  an  agreement 
with  him  to  take  my  party  of  four  across  the 
Dovre  Fjeld,  from  Storen  to  Lillehammer,  and  to 
pay  all  bills  connected  with  the  transportation, 
for  seventy  dollars,  and  to  be  allowed  forty 
pounds  of  baggage  for  each  passenger,  and  to 
have  that  particular  carriage ;  to  start  at  such 
time  as  I  should  designate  within  five  days,  to 
go  when  I  directed  and  stop  where  I  chose,  so 
as  we  should  not  be  more  than  seven  days  on 
the  road. 

This  contract  I  reduced  to  writing,  had  it 
rendered  into  Norwegian  and  signed  by  Rose. 

We  fixed  on  Thursday  morning  to  leave 
Storen,  and  he  agreed  to  send  the  carriage  up 
Wednesday. 

On  Wednesday  morning  we  took  our  final 
leave  of  Trondhjem  and  took  the  cars  for  Sto- 
ren, which  is  the  southern  terminus  of  the  only 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  297 

railway  in  northern  Norway,  and  is  about  thirty 
miles  in  length.  It  is  about  four-feet  gauge,  is 
in  but  indifferent  order,  but  runs  slowly  and 
safely.  This  road  is  designed,  eventually,  to 
be  continued  to  Christiana,  and  considerable 
grading  has  already  been  done  upon  it  south  of 
Storen.  We  run  up  the  Valley  of  the  Nid  to 
Heindal,  when  we  turned  to  the  west  and  passed 
over  to  the  valley  of  another  river  which  emp- 
ties into  the  bay  south  of  Trondhjem.  Thence 
our  course  was  nearly  due  south  up  this  val- 
ley to  the  end  of  the  road. 

As  we  stopped  at  a  station  about  half-way 
over,  we  saw  a  little  girl  on  the  platform  with 
strawberries  for  sale.  As  they  were  the  first  we 
had  seen  this  year,  we  took  her  entire  stock 
in  trade.  They  were  wild,  of  a  deep  red  color, 
of  a  long,  conical  shape,  very  sour  and  tasteless, 
and  precisely  like  those  I  have  seen  wild  on 
the  shores  of  Lake  Superior  and  other  high  lat- 
itudes. But  they  were  strawberries,  in  the  mid- 
dle of  July,  and  so  we  ate  them  from  principle 
if  not  from  inclination.  It  was  a  treat,  in  ap- 
pearance at  least,  and  with  an  effort  we  consid- 
ered it  so  in  fact. 

We  arrived  at  Storen  about   noon,  and  found 


298  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

ourselves  comfortable  at  the  only  hotel  in  the 
place,  and  were  soon  after  called  upon  by  the 
English  gentlemen  whose  acquaintance  we  had 
made  on  the  Tasso,  and  whose  fishing  lodge 
was  but  a  little  way  off,  the  hospitalities  of 
which  were  offered  us.  We  promised  to  go  over 
and  help  eat  the  only  salmon  they  had  taken 
the  season,  which  Mr.  Adams  had  captured  that 
morning.  I  have  already  given  an  account  of 
this  in  an  earlier  part  of  these  recollections,  when 
treating  of  salmon-fishing  in  Norway,  and  will 
not  revive  that  subject  again. 

When  the  freight  train  came  in  that  evening, 
our  carriage  came,  and  so  we  considered  our 
arrangements  complete. 

During  our  wanderings  about  the  salmon 
pools  —  a  place  where  salmon  are  accustomed 
to  rise  is  called  a  pool,  though  there  may  be  a 
strong  current  in  a  straight  channel  —  we  found 
fields  of  wild  flowers,  which  would  have  been 
the  delight  of  a  botanist,  and  among  others  a 
few  lilies  of  the  valley,  which  our  friends  who 
showed  them  to  us  said  had  been  very  abundant 
a  few  days  before.  These  were  all  found  in  the 
thickets  on  the  steep  side  hills,  though  other 
wild  flowers  were  abundant  in  the  open  ground. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


THE  OVERLAND  TRIP;  LOSE  AND  THEN  RECOVER  OUR  CARRIAGE; 
LIGHT  BAGGAGE;  A  COUNTRYMAN  ACCOMPANIES  us;  WE  START 
ON  A  GOOD  ROAD;  PASS  PRCESTHUUS,  GARLID,  BJERKAGER  AND 
AUSTBJERG;  A  LADY  TRIES  THE  CARRIOLE;  A  GRAND  PRECIPICE; 
STUEN  AND  ANNE  OR  OVNE;  FII^ST  NIGHT  AT  A  STATION; 
PEAT;  A  CASE  OF  POVERTY;  SUNNY  NIGHTS;  RISE,  DRIVSTUEN 
AND  KONGSVOLD;  A  NORWEGIAN  KITCHEN;  TRY  MY  HAND  AT 
COOKING  WITH  ASTONISHING  RESULTS;  THE  DOVRE  FjELD;  A 
BAD  ROAD;  THE  SUMMIT;  MOUNT  SNEH^ETON;  HJCERKIN;  THE 
CARRIAGE  UPSETS;  THE  MUSTANG  HORSES  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

WE  had  intended  to  start  the  next  morn- 
ing ;  but,  no  doubt  from  a  misunder- 
standing, Rose  did  not  appear,  and  so  we 
remained  another  day,  which  we  did  not  much 
regret,  as  we  were  anxious  to  see  Mr.  Burrows 
fight  a  salmon,  if  one  could  be  persuaded  to 
rise  to  his  fly.  This,  however,  could  not  be, 
notwithstanding  his  most  skillful  efforts  hour 
after  hour. 

As  we  were  returning  to  the  hotel,  about  one 
o'clock,  I  saw  persons  hitching  horses  to  our 
carriage,  which  still  stood  near  the  depot,  as  I 
supposed  to  draw  it  up  to  the  house ;  but  while 

we  were  at    the  dinner-table    I    saw  a  party  get- 

(299) 


300  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

ting  into  the  carnage,  behind  which  a  trunk 
was  fastened.  Rose  had  not  yet  arrived,  and  I 
comprehended  that  we  were  about  to  lose  our 
carriage,  which  was  the  only  one  I  had  seen  in 
the  country  in  which  the  journey  could  be  com- 
fortably made  by  my  party.  I  rushed  out  fran- 
tically, bareheaded,  and,  with  a  loud  voice  and 
wild  gestures,  stated  in  English  that  it  was  my 
carriage  which  I  had  hired  of  Mr.  Rose  and 
that  they  must  not  take  it  away,  and  all  that. 
They  understood  as  little  English  as  I  did  of 
Norwegian,  but  I  have  no  doubt  they  understood 
that  I  was  making  a  claim  to  the  carriage  ;  but 
the  ladies  inside,  some  of  whom  at  least  were 
young  and  pretty,  and  the  gentlemen  outside, 
who  had  passed  the  meridian  of  life —  if  not  of 
usefulness,  all  smiled  benignly  upon  me,  which 
seemed  to  say :  "  poor  fellow !  how  bad  he  feels ; 
is  it  possible  that  he  is  mad  ? "  and  with  this 
compassionate  look  and  smile,  the  whip  cracked 
and  away  they  went  at  a  spanking  pace,  while  the 
crowd  that  had  gathered  seemed  to  enjoy  a  quiet 
smile  at  my  expense,  and  looked  more  amused 
than  sympathetic.  Now,  I  do  not  think  this  con- 
tributed to  my  amiability.  Oh,  how  I  longed  for 
a  horse,  or  a  dog  even,  that  could  understand 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  301 

English,  that  I  might  free  my  mind  of  the  bur- 
then which  oppressed  it.  I  believed  I  had  been 
coolly  sold  out,  and  that  Rose  kept  away  on 
purpose.  At  this  supreme  moment,  when  I  felt 
like  wringing  the  necks  of  half  of  Norway,  a 
happy  thought  occurred  to  me.  If  not  a  soul 
about  could  understand  a  word  of  English,  at 
least  they  could  read  Norsk,  so  I  whipped  out 
my  contract  and  thrust  it  into  the  jolly  face  of 
the  landlord,  who  had  been  standing  by  with  a 
look  which  implied  a  doubt  of  my  sanity.  After 
he  had  read  it  through,  I  placed  my  finger  on 
the  last  line,  which  I  knew  was  the  one  that  pro- 
vided for  that  particular  carriage,  and  he  grunted 
out  "So!" 

Now,  this  is  a  word  that  is  interjected  into 
Norwegian  colloquy  with  a  lavish  profusion  which 
speaks  well  for  their  good  nature.  It  means  a 
little  more  than  the  word  means  in  English.  It 
means  assent  or  approval  as  we  use  the  word  yes. 
It  is  pronounced  with  a  peculiar  intonation  which 
is  soft  and  winning  as  well  as  approving,  spiced 
with  something  of  surprise  ;  and  politeness  seems 
to  require  that  it  should  be  used  in  response  to 
every  statement  that  is  made  in  conversation.  I 
have  no  doubt  but  this  interjection  is  more  fre- 


302  A   SUMMED  IN  NO  £  IV AY. 

quently  heard  in  the  Storthing  than  "  hear, 
hear ! "  is  in  the  British  Parliament  This  em- 
phatic "  so  ! "  seemed  to  produce  a  favorable  effect 
on  the  crowd,  and  especially  were  they  sympa- 
thetic when  the  landlord  evidently  explained  to 
them  that  it  was  my  carriage  which  had  been 
thus  run  off  before  my  face.  I  then  went  in  and 
finished  my  dinner,  possibly  not  in  the  best  humor 
in  the  world. 

In  the  course  of  an  hour  or  more  Rose  drove 
up  in  an  old,  heavy,  lumbering  carriage,  and  I 
pitched  at  him  with  more  energy  than  intelligence 
no  doubt,  at  least  so  far  as  he  could  see,  for  re- 
member he  could  not  understand  a  word  of  Eng- 
lish. At  last  a  Norwegian  gentleman  standing 
by  and  appreciating  the  difficulty,  asked  me  if  I 
could  speak  French  ?  This  was  a  God-send  !  I 
started  in  haste  for  Mr.  Richards,  who  had  gone 
up  a  canon  in  the  mountain  for  ferns  and  flow- 
ers, and  had  him  on  the  spot  as  soon  as  possible. 
Thank  fortune,  I  now  had  the  means  of  relieving 
my  mind  in  words  which  could  be  understood. 
Rose  recognized  my  right  to  the  carriage,  and 
said  it  had  been  taken  by  the  gentleman  without 
any  authority. 

Now,  this    I    did    not   believe,    for   he  did  not 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  303 

look  to  me  like  a  carriage-thief,  and  in  this  be- 
lief I  was  confirmed  when  I  saw  Rose  berating 
a  young  fellow  who  I  have  no  doubt  was  in 
some  way  connected  with  him  there,  and  who  I 
was  now  satisfied  had  allowed  the  gentleman  to 
take  the  carriage.  I  told  Rose  he  must  have 
that  carriage  back  by  seven  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing or  he  must  be  answerable  for  the  damages. 
Seeing  I  was  very  much  in  earnest,  he  put  the 
young  fellow,  who  had  no  doubt  been  the  cause 
of  all  the  trouble,  into  a  carriole,  and  started 
him  up  the  road,  at  the  best  pace  he  could  get 
out  of  a  sorry  -  looking  pony,  to  overtake  and 
stop  the  carriage,  and  as  soon  as  he  could  change 
horses  he  followed  with  his  old  carriage. 

About  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  I  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  him  drive  up  with  my  car- 
riage. He  said  the  boy  had  overtaken  the  party 
at  the  second  station,  about  fifteen  miles  out, 
where  they  had  waited  till  he  had  come  up  and 
changed  carriages  with  them. 

After  all,  I  think  justice  requires  me  to  say 
that  I  do  not  think  there  was  any  intentional 
wrong  on  the  part  of  any  one.  The  gentleman 
from  Trondhjem  wanted  a  carriage,  and  seeing 
one  unemployed  applied  for  it,  and  the  boy,  not 


304  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

knowing  it  was  engaged,  had  let  him  have  it, 
and  Rose  was  not  there  to  stop  it. 

So  soon  as  I  saw  the  carriage  returned  and 
directed  our  driver  to  be  ready  at  eight  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  I  went  to  bed  and  was  sound 
asleep  before  the  sun  had  set,  for  it  must  have 
set  sometime  during  the  night  in  that  latitude, 
which  was  about  63°  north. 

We  were  up  in  good  time  in  the  morning  and 
had  our  packing  finished  when  our  coffee  was 
announced.  Indeed,  there  was  not  much  to  pack, 
for  we  had  sent  all  our  baggage  to  Christiana 
by  water,  except  what  we  could  stow  in  one 
small  ship  trunk;  and  when  we  got  through  we 
knew  the  wisdom  of  the  advice  we  had  received, 
to  take  with  us  as  little  obstruction  as  possible 
when  crossing  the  mountains.  Indeed,  we  did 
not  take  more  than  half  the  weight  allowed  by 
the  contract. 

The  law  in  its  paternal  care,  prescribes  the 
number  of  horses  to  be  attached  to  each  kind 
of  carriage,  and  ours  required  three. 

At  eight  o'clock  our  three  prancing  steeds 
came  up  to  the  door  with  our  carriage  behind 
them  and  Rose  on  the  box.  He  had  tied  the 
rope  lines  to  the  names,  and  had  substituted  a 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  305 

pair  of  strap  lines  in  their  place,  otherwise  the 
harness  was  as  I  have  already  described,  without 
traces  and  tied  together  in  sundry  places  with 
strings.  Indeed,  it  may  be  truly  said  that  the 
harness  is  not  an  article  which  station-keepers 
select  for  extravagant  display ;  in  fact,  they  seem 
to  take  no  pride  in  it  whatever.  It  is  by  no 
means  considered  as  an  ornamental  dress  for  the 
horse. 

Our  trunk  was  soon  lashed  on  behind  and 
surmounted  by  the  post-boy ;  we  bade  farewell 
to  our  kind  friends  from  the  lodge,  made  our 
adieus  to  the  landlord  and  the  hangers-on,  who 
seemed  to  have  taken  an  interest  in  us  more 
than  ever  since  the  affair  of  yesterday,  took  our 
seats  and  away  we  went. 

Mr.  Richards,  who  had  traveled  with  us  most 
of  the  time  since  we  left  Hull,  had  occupied  his 
time  the  day  before,  so  far  as  necessary,  in  se- 
lecting a  carriole  to  his  fancy,  had  organized  his 
establishment,  and  now  sat  whip  in  hand  behind 
a  very  ordinary  lot  of  horse-bones,  held  together 
by  a  limited  amount  of  tissue.  When  all  was 
pronounced  ready,  he  led  the  way  at  a  better 
pace  than  I  supposed  his  turn-out  could  attain. 

Our  road  led  up  the  valley,  directly  under  the 


306  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

over-hanging  heights  which  bounded  it  on  the 
west,  while  to  the  east  of  us  it  spread  out  into 
broad  fields  to  the  river,  which  ran  close  under 
the  mountains  on  that  side. 

Storen  is  really  a  delightful  spot,  situated  in  a 
sweet  little  nook  in  the  midst  of  the  mountains, 
which  are  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  small 
evergreens  —  mostly  fir  —  to  their  very  tops,  or 
so  far  as  we  could  see.  Sometimes  the  side  of 
the  mountain  so  covered  seemed  almost  vertical, 
and  the  green  mantle  in  places  was  torn  asunder 
and  exposed  the  bald  face  of  the  black,  naked 
rock,  so  steep  and  unbroken  that  nothing  could 
rest  upon  it.  These  green  mountain  sides,  show- 
ing here  and  there  the  great  black  patches  of 
rock,  presented  a  beautiful  picture  when  the  de- 
clining sun  was  shining  upon  them  with  a  soft 
radiance  which  was  ever  gratifying. 

I  did  not  wonder  that  the  denizens  of  the 
thronged,  smoky,  foggy  metropolis  of  England 
should  delight  in  such  a  quiet  retreat  where  they 
could  see  so  much  of  nature's  wildness,  even  if 
the  salmon  proved  obstinate  and  refused  to  rise 
though  they  exerted  their  utmost  skill  to  persuade 
them.  Twenty  summers  has  Mr.  Burrows  spent 
in  that  same  place,  whipping  those  same  pools, 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  307 

from  which  he  has  taken  many  tons  of  salmon, 
and  my  ardent  hope  is  that  he  may  live  to 
enjoy  them  twenty  summers  more,  and  then  some 
more  yet. 

The  road  we  found  excellent ;  equal  to  any 
mountain  road  I  have  found  in  Europe.  It  was 
macadamized  all  the  way,  and  worked  down 
smooth,  with  a  grade  varying  from  one  in  twenty 
to  one  in  thirty  feet,  generally.  It  wound  along 
up  the  valley  of  a  large  tributary  which  came 
tearing  down  its  rocky  bed,  often  in  milk-white 
foam,  and  ever  filled  the  valley  with  the  sound 
of  its  falling  waters. 

In  about  one  and  a  half  hours  we  brought 
up  at  Prsesthuus,  where  we  found  Mr.  Richards 
waiting  for  his  horse  and  also  ours,  for  he  had 
booked  for  us  as  well.  Here  we  got  out  to  taste 
the  water  and  take  a  peep  at  the  station-house. 
We  had  certainly  made  good  time  —  about  eight 
miles  in  an  hour  and  a  half,  all  the  way  up-grade. 

The  next  station  was  Garlid,  about  six  miles. 
The  grade  on  this  part  of  the  road  was  heavier 
than  before,  but  the  horses  trotted  most  of  the 
way. 

The  next  stage  was  about  eight  miles  to  Bjer- 
kager.  It  was  now  time  for  luncheon,  but  it  did 


308  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

not  look  very  inviting  within,  and  as  we  had  pro- 
vided ourselves  well  with  crackers  and  cheese, 
and  some  relishes,  we  concluded  to  depend  on 
our  own  resources. 

Travelers  on  carriole  routes  in  Norway  should 
always  start  with  a  good  supply  of  provisions,  for 
they  are  very  liable  to  need  them  before  they 
get  through,  and  they  should  be  well  provided 
with  water-proofs,  for  they  may  be  frequently 
exposed  to  rains,  though  fortunately  we  escaped 
them  entirely.  The  sun  shone  brightly  all  day, 
and  it  was  quite  warm  enough  for  comfort. 

The  next  route  was  about  seven  miles,  and 
brought  us  to  Austbjerg.  At  Bjerkager  one  of 
the  ladies  changed  places  with  Mr.  Richards,  in 
order  to  have  some  experience  of  carriole  riding; 
she  led  us  a  merry  dance  over  the  road,  and,  I 
imagine,  pretended  not  to  understand  the  post- 
boy when  he  hinted  that  she  would  get  through 
at  last  at  a  little  slower  pace. 

This  route  presented  the  grandest  scenery  on 
the  whole  road,  and  the  slower  we  traveled  the 
better  it  suited  me,  for  I  wanted  to  see  it  all. 
At  one  point,  the  valley  is  a  sheer  canon,  where 
the  road  skirts  the  top  of  a  precipice,  with  a  ver- 
tical descent  of  seven  hundred  feet,  at  the  bot- 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  309 

torn  of  which  the  river  is  forced  through  a 
crevice  which  appears  not  three  feet  wide. 

When  the  road  was  constructed,  in  1858,  a 
laborer  fell  over  this  precipice,  and  a  cross  is 
graven  on  the  face  of  the  rock  by  the  side  of 
the  road,  to  mark  the  spot  where  he  met  his 
untimely  fate,  and  beside  it  is  the  date.  It  is  a 
more  frightful  chasm  to  look  into  than  even  Cape 
Horn,  in  the  Sierras,  on  the  Pacific  road. 

At  every  exposed  place  along  this  road,  rough 
stone  pillars  are  placed  at  the  outer  edge  of  the 
way,  more  or  less  frequent,  according  to  the  dan- 
ger of  the  place ;  and  indeed  these  may  be  said 
to  be  continuous,  except  on  the  Dovre  Fjeld,  where 
the  road  is  on  more  level  ground. 

After  Austbjerg,  we  reached  Stuen,  about 
eight  miles  distant,  where  we  again  changed 
horses,  and  then  pushed  on  at  a  lively  pace  to 
Anne  or  Ovne,  about  six  miles  distant,  the  place 
selected  for  our  night  station,  where  we  arrived 
about  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  having  made 
about  fifty  English  miles  in  about  nine  hours, 
including  stops  and  all  the  way  climbing  up  the 
mountain. 

There  is  no  village  here,  but  a  simple  station- 
house  which  afforded  us  very  comfortable  quar- 


310  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

ters,  with  good  clean  beds,  in  which  I  could 
nearly  straighten  myself  out. 

At  this  point  a  road  branches  off  to  the  west 
to  Sundalsoren,  which  is  at  the  head  of  a  very 
deep  fjord,  which  penetrates  the  mountains  for 
nearly  fifty  miles,  and  where  the  traveler  can 
take  a  steamer  for  Christiansund,  and  thus  join 
the  coast  route. 

Anne  is  situated  in  a  comparatively  level  tract 
of  country,  showing  considerable  signs  of  fer- 
tility. The  house  stands  at  the  very  edge  of  an 
extensive  peat-bog  which  they  were  in  the  pro- 
cess of  clearing  of  the  stunted  spruce  trees  with 
which  it  is  covered.  This  is  done  with  great  la- 
bor, in  which  a  sort  of  grubbing  hoe  is  used  to 
dig  up  the  shrubbery  and  roots,  and  skin  off  the 
surface,  all  of  which  is  burned  on  the  ground. 
Deep  ditches  were  run  through  in  various  direc- 
tions. The  wonder  to  me  was,  that  the  peat 
itself  did  not  take  fire  and  become  entirely  con- 
sumed, for  it  seemed  to  be  quite  dry ;  but  prob- 
ably there  was  moisture  enough  left  to  protect 
it.  A  small  garden  had  been  planted  on  a  part 
of  the  lately  cleared  bog,  but  its  promise  was 
very  indifferent. 

After    dinner    we    took    a    long    walk    up  the 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  311 

branch  road  which  leads  to  Sundalsoren,  which 
was  closed  by  a  large  gate  which  all  travelers  had 
to  stop  and  open  as  they  passed.  Some  distance 
up  this  road  was  a  very  pretty  grove  of  ever- 
greens, and  by  the  way  we  found  some  wild 
flowers.  After  we  returned  I  walked  up  the 
Dovre  Fjeld  road,  to  where  a  small  creek  crosses 
it,  and  where  a  family  of  the  poorest  looking 
people  I  saw  in  Norway  had  stopped  to  lunch ; 
a  young  man  and  woman  and  their  two  children, 
one  about  three  years  old  and  the  other  perhaps 
one  year.  When  they  had  finished  their  rye  crust 
and  drank  from  the  creek,  the  father  strapped 
the  baby  to  his  back  and  started  along,  while 
the  mother  tied  up  the  bundle  of  rags  which  she 
threw  over  her  shoulder  and  the  little  boy  slung 
a  bottle  on  his  back,  when  they  trudged  slowly 
after.  All  were  bare-foot,  ragged  and  dusty,  and 
perhaps  I  may  add  —  dirty,  and  do  them  no  in- 
justice. Unless  their  looks  did  them  great  injus- 
tice, they  frequently  violated  their  temperance 
pledge,  if  they  ever  took  one.  I  repeat  this  was 
the  strongest  case  of  evident  indigence  I  saw  in 
Norway. 

These    sunny    nights    can    hardly    conduce   to 
health,  they  steal    away  so  much  of  sleep.     One 


312  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

does  not  readily  get  sleepy  in  the  sunshine,  and 
then  we  are  so  apt  to  forget  to  look  at  the  watch 
to  see  if  it  is  time  to  retire. 

The  sun  was  so  slow  going  down,  that  by 
half-past  ten  o'clock  we  kissed  our  hands  to  him 
and  with  a  cheery  good-night  withdrew  to  our 
narrow  cots  and  slept  gloriously  in  the  soft  but 
bracing  mountain  air.  There  were  the  inevitable 
down  bed-covers,  but  it  was  little  trouble  to  re- 
move them. 

Rise  was  the  first  station  reached  in  the 
morning,  where  we  got  fresh  horses,  and  after 
that  Drivstuen,  where  we  again  took  fresh 
horses  for  Kongsvold,  which  we  reached  about 
one  o'clock  P.  M.,  having  made  about  twenty-five 
miles  for  the  morning's  drive.  Here  we  con- 
cluded to  take  our  dinners. 

The  station  is  situated  on  the  side  of  a  de- 
clivity, with  a  rising  piece  of  meadow-land  be- 
hind it.  As  we  drove  up  I  observed  an  abun- 
dance of  cowslips  in  the  meadow,  and  so  soon  as 
we  stopped  I  went  over  and  picked  a  nice  lot 
of  the  inside  tender  leaves,  and  explained  to 
mine  hostess,  as  well  as  I  could,  that  they  were 
good  to  eat,  and  I  wanted  them  boiled,  and 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  313 

saw  them  placed  in  a  saucepan  with  water,  and 
set  upon  the  fire. 

As  this  part  of  a  Norwegian  kitchen  is  pecu- 
liar, I  may  describe  it  by  stating  that  the  fire- 
place occupies  one  of  the  angles  of  the  room, 
and  consists  of  a  platform  of  brick  about  eight 
inches  thick,  resting  on  the  floor,  and  circular 
in  front,  and  brick-work  extending  up  the  walls, 
forming  the  back  and  sides  of  the  fireplace. 
Over  it  a  sort  of  hood  is  built  which  is  con- 
tracted to  the  dimensions  of  a  chimney  above. 
On  this  the  fire  is  made  and  the  cooking  is 
done.  Now  this  was  the  cooking-place  in  all 
the  kitchens  which  I  was  permitted  to  enter  in 
Norway,  which,  I  admit,  were  not  very  numer- 
ous, but  I  think  it  is  the  common  style  in  the 
country,  but  I  was  told  that  in  the  dwellings 
of  well-to-do  families  in  cities,  cooking-ranges 
and  stoves  have  been  introduced. 

As  dinner  was  announced,  I  rushed  to  the 
kitchen  to  see  how  my  greens  were  progressing, 
and  found  the  water  had  nearly  boiled  away ; 
so  I  caught  up  the  kettle  standing  by  and  re- 
plenished the  saucepan  with  —  coffee  !  That 
ended  my  benevolent  efforts  to  teach  the  Nor- 
wegians the  use  of  a  new  vegetable  which 


314  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

abounds  in  some  parts  of  the  country  at  least ; 
and  I  confess  I  left  the  country  with  a  sad 
heart  at  the  thought  that  so  much  food  was 
lost,  simply  for  the  want  of  knowledge.  I  ate 
my  dinner  in  silent  disappointment,  while  the 
rest  of  the  party,  I  really  think,  were  more  jolly 
than  ever,  and  seemed  to  think  it  rather  funny 
that  I  had  made  such  a  signal  failure  as  a  cook 
as  well  as  an  educator. 

This  is  the  first  station  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Dovre  Fjeld.  The  broad  table-land  on 
the  flattened  top  of  a  mountain  is  called  trots- 
lette,  while  the  mountain  itself  is  called  fjeld. 
So  Dovre  Fjeld  means  Dover  Mountain,  which 
comprehends  also  the  troislette  or  table-land  of 
the  top.  This  table  on  top  of  the  Dovre  Fjeld 
is  about  twenty-five  miles  across  by  the  road 
which  we  traveled.  It  is  by  no  means  a  level 
plateau,  but  is,  to  say  the  least,  hilly  or  heavily 
rolling. 

Although  Kongsvold  is,  rightly  considered,  on 
the  fjeld,  we  were  by  no  means  at  the  top  or 
table. 

Immediately  on  leaving  the  station  we  entered 
upon  a  piece  of  the  worst  road  I  saw  in  Nor- 
way. We  passed  over  a  succession  of  rolls, 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  315 

each  rising  higher  than  the  other ;  we  would  go 
up  a  long  hill  where  it  was  with  the  utmost 
difficulty  the  horses  could  drag  the  carriage  with 
only  the  ladies  in  it,  and  two  of  them  frequently 
got  out  and  walked,  out  of  compassion  to  the 
poor  brutes  ;  and  then  we  would  tumble  down  a 
pitch  as  steep  as  the  roof  of  a  house,  and  the 
horses  would  have  to  run  for  dear  life  to  keep 
out  of  the  way  of  the  carriage,  for  the  harness 
shook  about  them  like  an  old  tattered  cloak,  and 
threatened  to  fly  off  with  the  wind  every  mo- 
ment, and  was  of  little  use  in  holding  back. 

This  was  the  worst  engineering  I  met  with 
on  that  road.  These  frightful  grades  may  easily 
be  avoided,  and  probably  will  be  soon. 

We  felt  greatly  relieved  when  we  had  attained 
a  higher  altitude  on  more  level  ground.  Here 
we  found  the  location  of  the  road  had  been 
lately  changed  to  go  round  an  immense  hill  on 
an  easy  grade,  which  follows  the  valley  of  a 
creek  which  is  the  head  of  the  waters  we  had 
been  following  up  for  two  days,  and  presently 
we  reached  the  summit  on  the  Dovre  Fjeld,  and 
stopped  for  a  few  moments  to  survey  the  water 
shed  on  either  side. 

It   was    by   no    means    a   verdant    picture,   but 


316  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

rather  one  of  untamed  desolation.  There  was 
some  grass  and  reindeer  moss,  but  no  trees  or 
shrubbery  to  relieve  the  view.  We  were  now  at 
the  greatest  altitude  we  should  attain  in  Nor- 
way, and  the  influence  of  the  rarefied  atmosphere 
was  sensibly  felt.  We  had,  till  now,  been  con- 
stantly climbing  the  mountain,  generally  by  easy 
grades,  it  is  true,  still  it  was  up,  up,  up,  till  it 
had  really  become  monotonous.  Thenceforth  it 
would  be  down-hill  work,  and  the  rapid  descent 
of  the  road  which  lay  before  us  was  suggestive 
of  relief  to  the  horses  as  well  as  ourselves. 

Away  to  the  right,  about  twenty-five  miles 
distant,  the  great  Snehaeten,  the  highest  mount- 
ain in  the  range,  lifted  his  snow-capped  head 
high  in  the  clear  atmosphere,  from  whose  frozen 
surface  the  bright  rays  of  the  sun  were  bril- 
liantly reflected.  It  looked  as  if  it  were  but  just 
across  the  valley  and  might  be  reached  in  an 
hour's  walk,  still  we  could  see  nothing  of  it 
below  the  snow  line.  It  looked  like  a  great 
fool's-cap  of  washed  wool,  studded  all  around 
with  lesser  peaks,  mostly  covered  with  eternal 
snows. 

After  a  short  pause  and  a  short  survey,  the 
accommodating  Rose  gave  the  inevitable  grunt, 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  317 

which  the  horses  understand  to  be  the  Norske 
for  go  ahead,  and  away  we  went  down  the 
mountain,  led  by  Richards  in  his  carriole,  who 
seemed  to  appreciate  that  it  was  his  business  to 
keep  out  of  our  way,  or  worse  might  come  of  it. 

The  new  road  led  us  all  the  way  to  Hjcerkin, 
which  is  an  old  station  on  the  old  road,  and  is 
situated  on  a  steep  eminence. 

Richards  had  reached  there  before  us,  in  time 
to  climb  the  eminence  and  make  the  necessary 
entry  in  the  day-book,  and  was  seated  at  his 
ease  on  a  bench  outside  the  house. 

When  we  reached  the  foot  of  the  declivity, 
our  driver  concluded  not  to  drive  up  at  all,  but 
turn  around  there  and  bring  the  fresh  horses 
down.  The  road  was  narrow  and  sideling.  In 
turning  short  round,  he  brought  the  fore  wheel 
quite  under  the  carriage,  which,  without  a  load, 
would  not  have  touched  the  body,  but  now,  with 
the  load  in,  the  wheel  came  in  contact  with  the 
bottom,  and  over  we  went  down  the  hill.  As  I 
saw  we  were  going  over,  I  seized  the  lines  as 
far  forward  as  I  could  reach,  and  slipped  from 
the  box  down  on  the  rump  of  the  near  horse, 
and  at  the  same  time  yanked  the  horses  back, 
for  a  runaway  at  that  time  must  be  prevented. 


318  A    SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

Where  Rose  landed  I  never  did  know,  but  the 
first  I  saw  of  him  he  was  crawling  up  the  hill 
from  below. 

I  was  in  a  tight  place,  for  I  had  slid  down 
behind  the  horse,  and  my  energetic  pull  at  the 
lines  had  jammed  me  close  between  the  horse 
and  the  carriage,  which  now  lay  on  its  side.  The 
horse,  evidently  not  liking  the  position,  made 
frantic  efforts  to  kick  me  away,  but  I  held  him 
so  firmly  back,  and  was  jammed  so  tightly  against 
him,  that,  at  best,  he  made  but  abortive  efforts. 

The  moment  Richards  saw  the  carriage  was 
going  over,  he  made  the  best  leaps  he  could 
down  the  steep  hill,  and  in  a  very  few  seconds 
had  the  horses  by  the  bits,  knowing  that  the 
greatest  danger  was  a  runaway.  A  dozen  men 
quickly  joined  him,  and  others  ran  to  the  car- 
riage, taking  off  the  roof  and  helping  out  the 
ladies. 

Let  me  here  say  a  word  to  their  credit,  that 
not  a  scream  was  heard  from  one  of  the  ladies, 
but  they  kept  very  quiet  till  they  could  be  care- 
fully got  out. 

I  will  say  for  the  horses,  that  they  were  more 
manageable  than  we  could  expect  most  horses 
to  have  been  under  the  circumstances,  and  this 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  319 

breed  of  mustangs  are  exceptionably  gentle  and 
well  broken,  and  as  safe  to  put  in  the  hands  of 
a  lady  as  any  I  have  ever  seen.  They  are  good 
travelers  and  are  very  hardy.  They  do  all  their 
work,  almost  entirely,  on  what  food  they  can 
pick  up  on  the  mountain  sides.  At  many,  if 
not  most,  of  the  stations,  we  had  to  wait  till 
they  could  be  sent  for  and  brought  in  from  the 
mountains,  which,  however,  usually,  did  not  take 
long,  for  the  bells  they  wore  told  where  they 
were.  They  made  an  average  of  seven  miles  an 
hour  on  the  down  grades,  and  six  miles  on  the 
moderate  up-grades.  The  great  delay  in  this 
traveling  is  the  loss  of  time  at  the  stations. 

The  prevailing  color  of  these  horses  is  a  yel- 
lowish cream  shade  with  black  skin,  with  dark 
mane  and  tail,  and  a  darker  list  down  the  back. 

At  last  the  horses  were  disentangled  from  the 
harness  and  I  was  relieved  from  my  unpleasant 
position,  for  I  confess  that  hugging  the  heels  of 
a  mustang  is  unpleasant,  at  the  best ;  and  when 
I  looked  about  I  found  the  ladies  all  on  the 
ground  and  without  a  scratch  or  a  bruise.  I  had 
got  a  raking  bruise  from  the  foot  to  the  knee, 
but  the  skin  was  only  broken  near  the  upper 
part,  which  was  bleeding,  but  moderately.  This 


320  A    SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

I  gave  a  good  cold  -  water  bath  from  the  little 
brook  which  came  leaping  down  from  the  heights 
above,  and  I  never  suffered  seriously  from  it 
afterwards,  though  I  brought  the  marks  home 
with  me  as  a  constant  reminder  of  Hjcerkin  on 
the  Dovre  Fjeld. 


CHAPTER    XX. 


RESUME  THE  JOURNEY;  BLEAK  AND  BARREN  DISTRICT;  DELAY  AT 
FOGSTUEN;  FLOWERS  UNDER  SNOW;  SNOWBALLING  IN  JULY; 
ANOTHER  ACCIDENT,  AND  HAZARDOUS  TRAVEL;  DOMBAAS ;  WILD 
REINDEER;  NO  DARKNESS  YET;  PART  WITH  OUR  TRAVELING  COM- 
PANION; THE  NORWEGIAN  ELK;  THOFTEMOEN;  A  ROYAL  STATION- 
KEEPER,  HIS  PRIDE  AND  WEALTH;  LAAGEN  VALLEY;  A  PERILOUS 
BRIDGE  AND  ROAD;  BRCENDHAUGEN,  L/AURGAARD,  MOEN,  BEDE- 
VANJEN;  KRINGLEN,  AN  HISTORICAL  SITE;  THE  STORY  OF  THE 
ANNIHILATION  OF  A  SCOTCH  .ARMY  UNDER  SINCLAIR,  AT  KRIN- 
GLEN; THE  COMMEMORATION  MONUMENT;  THE  ROMANCE. 

WHEN  the  carriage  was  righted  and  in- 
spected, it  was  found  to  be  so  little 
injured  as  to  render  it  safe  to  proceed,  and  so 
the  fresh  horses  were  hitched  to  and  we  pro- 
ceeded on  our  way,  thankful  that  it  was  no 
worse. 

The  next  was  one  of  the  longest  routes  of 
the  whole  road,  being  about  fourteen  miles.  The 
road  is  undulating  along  the  top  of  the  fjeld, 
but  the  general  altitude  is  not  much  changed. 
The  country  is  bleak,  barren  and  desolate,  with 
ponds  or  little  lakes  scattered  along  the  way 
which  are  the  sources  of  the  streams  which  find 
their  way  down  the  eastern  slope.  Occasionally 

21  (32I) 


322  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

a  pile  of  rock  indicates  a  place  where  the  mate- 
rial was  more  refractory  than  the  rest,  and  so 
had  resisted  better  the  decomposing  elements 
which  had  leveled  down  the  top  of  the  mountain 
chain. 

When  we  reached  Fogstuen  we  found  no 
horses  in,  and  were  told  we  must  wait  two  hours 
before  we  could  go  on. 

It  was  now  five  o'clock,  and  as  our  plan  em- 
braced but  one  more  stage  for  the  day,  we  had 
hoped  to  have  got  through  in  good  season  and 
have  a  long  rest.  We  of  course  were  not  pleased 
at  the  prospect,  and  suspected  a  plan  on  the  part 
of  the  station-keeper  to  keep  us  all  night 

As  we  had  found  the  musquitoes  bad  on  the 
fjeld,  and  here  infinitely  worse  than  we  had  seen 
them  before,  we  resolved  not  to  humor  his  design, 
and  so  did  not  enter  the  house  at  all  but  sat  in 
the  carriage  or  wandered  about  the  place. 

I  went  off  a  third  of  a  mile,  botanizing,  to 
a  great  mass  of  snow  which  lay  in  a  gorge 
above  the  road,  and  found  some  of  the  same 
flowering  moss  which  I  had  seen  at  Bodo,  and 
two  other  species  of  moss,  and  some  flowering 
shrubs  in  full  bloom,  not  more  than  four  inches 
high ;  some  of  these  I  picked  out  from  under 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  323 

the  snow  —  it  was  more  ice  than  snow  —  where 
the  underside  had  melted  away  and  left  an  open 
space  between  it  and  the  ground  of  a  foot  or 
more.  On  my  return  I  took  a  quantity  of  the 
snow  with  me,  and  we  had  a  good  game  at 
snow-ball  in  July.  I  thought  we  might  never 
again  have  the  opportunity  for  this  sport  in  mid- 
summer. You  must  know  travelers  will  often  do 
something  of  the  kind,  if  it  is  only  to  have  some 
subject  out  of  the  usual  way  to  talk  and  tell 
about  when  they  get  home. 

In  an  hour  and  a  half  from  the  time  of  our 
arrival,  the  horses  were  hitched,  when  one  of  the 
young  ladies  took  Mr.  Richards'  seat  in  the  car- 
riole and  led  the  way  to  Dombaas,  about  six 
miles  distant,  and  we  followed  at  a  good  round 
pace.  Soon  the  road  began  to  descend  very  rap- 
idly, and  I  feared  we  should  run  into  the  carriole 
before  us,  as  our  holding-back  arrangements  were 
very  imperfect.  I  shouted  till  I  made  her  under- 
stand the  emergency,  when  she  proved  equal  to 
the  occasion  and  fairly  flew  down  the  long  steep 
hills,  thus  removing  all  fear  of  a  collision. 

I  rode  on  the  box,  and,  I  confess,  with  fear 
and  trembling.  Finally,  as  we  were  going  down 
one  of  the  long  steep  descents — which  had  now 


324  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

become  bordered  with  stunted  shrubbery  —  at  a 
rattling  pace,  the  outer  shaft  of  the  off  horse 
dropped  to  the  ground,  the  end  caught  and  it 
was  doubled  up  and  broken  into  several  pieces 
in  an  instant,  with  a  crack  like  the  report  of  a 
pistol.  This  checked  the  speed  of  the  carriage 
so  that  we  stopped  without  serious  accident. 
One  piece  of  the  shaft  was  found  a  hundred 
feet  away,  in  the  bush.  The  remnant  of  the 
shaft  was  speedily  taken  off,  a  piece  of  rope 
substituted,  and  we  resumed  our  journey  at  the 
same  break-neck  pace,  which  was  unavoidable  on 
such  a  grade,  and  with  such  harness. 

The  valley  below  opened  before  us,  showing 
a  cluster  of  houses  at  the  station,  and  a  long 
distance  of  the  road  to  Molde,  which  branches 
off  at  Dombaas,  which  Mr.  Richards  was  to  take 
in  the  morning. 

When  the  last  hill  was  descended  and  we 
found  ourselves  in  the  valley,  I  confess  that  I 
felt  a  great  relief.  For  myself,  I  do  not  fancy 
rolling  down  a  precipitous  hill  half  a  mile  long, 
where  you  have  to  urge  the  horses  to  keep  them 
out  of  the  way  of  the  carriage,  and  where  an 
accident  might  hurl  you  into  a  deep  ravine.  I 
am  content  with  less  exciting  travel. 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  325 

Half  a  mile  brought  us  to  an  excellent  station 
where  there  was  good  fare  and  abundance  of 
accommodation.  We  found  a  man  connected 
with  the  establishment  who  spoke  good  English, 
and  from  him  we  heard  the  first  word  of  Eng- 
lish which  had  greeted  our  ears,  except  from  our 
own  party,  since  we  had  left  Storen.  Here,  too, 
is  a  telegraph  office.  Although  there  is  a  tele- 
graph line  along  the  road  we  had  come,  not  a 
single  office  had  we  met  till  now. 

We  were  now  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
wild  reindeer,  the  meat  of  which  is  a  standing 
dish  at  this  station  in  season,  and  I  imagine,  from 
what  I  saw,  they  are  not  always  particular  about 
the  season.  I  here  found  a  choice  collection  of 
the  antlers  of  these  deer,  which  I  carefully  stud- 
ied with  great  interest. 

The  only  difference  I  could  detect  between 
them  and  the  antlers  of  our  caribou,  is  that,  in 
America  they  are  more  palmated  than  there, 
and  the  beams  are  less  cylindrical. 

We  had  still  seen  no  darkness,  and  promised 
ourselves  that  long  lost  luxury  here,  but  the  fa- 
tigues of  the  day  were  too  much  for  us,  and  we 
gave  over  waiting  and  retired  by  sunlight.  The 
young  ladies,  however,  not  to  be  entirely  balked 


326  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

in  their  hopes,  darkened  their  windows  as  much 
as  possible,  and  lit  a  candle  to  retire  by,  but  the 
result  was  represented  as  showing  a  rather  sickly 
effort.  Indeed,  it  was  a  failure,  and  we  must 
still  wait  longer  for  nature's  darkness,  or  manage 
not  to  sleep  so  soundly  as  the  atmosphere  there 
prompted.  Had  we  staid  over  night  at  Fogstuen, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  musquitoes  would 
have  kept  us  awake  till  we  could  have  seen  stars 
as  well  as  darkness,  but  those  pests  had  left  us 
when  we  descended  from  the  high  table  -  lands, 
and  now  our  sleep  was  sound  and  undisturbed. 

We  awaked  in  the  morning  later  than  usual, 
and  we  only  got  down-stairs  in  time  to  bid 
good-bye  to  Mr.  Richards,  who  was  already  sit- 
ting in  his  carriole  in  front  of  the  door.  In  a 
few  minutes  he  dashed  down  the  lane,  and  at 
the  diverging  point  turned  to  the  left  and  took 
the  road  to  Molde  and  for  the  Felle  Fjelds.  Some 
weeks  later,  when  our  steamer  neared  the  wharf 
at  Copenhagen,  we  saw  him  standing  in  the 
crowd  on  the  dock  expecting  us. 

He  reported  the  route  from  Molde  across 
the  Felle  Fjeld  as  still  more  interesting,  and  the 
scenery  finer,  than  that  across  the  Dovre  Fjeld. 
From  Copenhagen  our  routes  were  together  till 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  327 

we  reached  Cologne,  where  we  again  separated 
till  we  met  in  Paris,  where  he  again  left  us  for 
Spain,  to  sail  for  South  America,  where  he  is 
spending  the  summer  this  winter,  and  proposes 
finally  to  go  around  the  world  a  second  time,  by 
way  of  the  South  Sea  islands  and  Australia. 

We  are  now  in  the  vicinity  of  the  great 
Scandinavian  elk,  which  is  specifically  identical 
with  the  American  moose,  though  it  is  a  little 
less  in  size  and  not  quite  so  dark  in  color,  but 
in  all  essential  particulars  they  are  precisely 
alike,  and  if  one  from  either  side  of  the  Atlan- 
tic were  transferred  to  the  other,  no  one  would 
suspect  that  he  was  an  emigrant. 

This  is  the  largest  and  the  ugliest  of  all  the 
existing  deer  family,  and  to  the  naturalist  pre- 
sents a  study  of  the  profoundest  interest.  In 
size  he  is  simply  enormous  for  a  deer.  In 
height  he  is  fully  equal  to  the  horse,  sometimes 
reaching  seventeen  or  eighteen  hands,  but  he  is 
not  proportionably  long.  In  America  he  has 
been  known  to  attain  a  weight  of  more  than 
fourteen  hundred  pounds.  His  legs  are  very 
long  and  stout,  the  fore  legs  being  the  longest. 
His  head,  too,  is  of  enormous  length,  being  from 
two  to  two  and  a  half  feet,  with  a  great  pre- 


328  A  SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

hensile  nose,  or  upper  lip,  which  projects  several 
inches  beyond  the  lower  jaw.  His  antlers  are 
short  and  broadly  palmated,  with  many  sharp 
tines.  His  neck  is  very  stout  and  short,  being 
only  about  the  length  of  the  head.  From  this 
cause  he  is  unable  to  graze  on  level  ground 
without  getting  on  his  knees.  However,  he  gath- 
ers his  food  mostly  from  the  trees,  for  which 
his  form  is  specially  adapted,  being  fond  also 
of  aquatic  plants,  which  he  gathers  by  wading 
in  the  water.  He  gathers  the  reindeer  moss  on 
the  sides  of  the  mountains,  and  feasts  on  the 
parasitic  lichens,  which  he  readily  strips  from 
the  trees. 

He  inhabits  only  cold  countries,  in  high  lat- 
itudes, and  confines  his  range  to  the  forests. 
He  never  ascends  the  mountains  above  the 
timber  line,  but  rather  affects  the  low  and 
marshy  grounds,  where  he  finds  his  favorite  food 
most  abundant.  He  inhabits  a  region  of  country 
in  common  with  the  reindeer,  though  he  does 
not  go  as  far  north,  but  is  found  further  south 
than  the  latter  deer. 

Authors  inform  us  that  this  elk  was  formerly 
kept  in  a  domestic  state  in  Norway,  and  was 
extensively  used  as  a  beast  of  draft  and  of  bur- 


SCANDINAVIAN    ELK. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  329 

then,  and  it  is  difficult  to  conjecture  why  he  was 
abandoned  for  that  purpose,  for  his  great 
strength  and  endurance  admirably  adapt  him 
for  domestic  uses. 

Formerly  the  elk  were  very  abundant  in 
Norway,  and  its  flesh  was  an  important  article 
of  subsistence  among  the  bonde  or  peasantry. 
In  deep  snows  they  were  pursued  on  snow-shoes 
or  skates,  called  skie,  which  are  quite  different 
from  our  snow-shoes.  They  are  made  of  wood, 
of  the  width  of  the  foot,  and  about  ten  feet  long, 
and  capable  of  sustaining  a  man  on  light  snow. 
The  skie-lober  does  not  attempt  to  walk  with 
them,  using  them  only  as  runners,  propelling 
himself  by  a  pole.  In  this  way  they  can  proceed 
very  rapidly,  and  so  they  make  long  journeys. 

Lately  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  protect 
the  elk  by  stringent  laws,  to  prevent  their  exter- 
mination. The  closed  season  is  from  the  3ist  of 
October  till  the  ist  of  August,  leaving  only  three 
months,  August,  September  and  October,  within 
which  it  is  lawful  to  take  them ;  and  even  then 
the  owner  of  an  estate  may  shoot  but  a  single 
elk  during  the  season,  or  he  may  transfer  this 
right  to  another.  Under  this  protection  they  are 
said  to  be  now  increasing  in  numbers. 


330  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

Even  more  stringent  protection  has  lately 
been  extended  to  them  in  the  maritime  prov- 
inces of  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  where  they 
were  also  becoming  very  scarce,  an  entire  res- 
pite for  three  years  being  provided. 

In  this  country  they  are  now  found  in  the 
greatest  abundance  in  Alaska,  but  they  extend 

\ 

as  far  south  as  Montana,  where  they  grow  to  a 
larger  size  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world. 
The  elk  of  Europe,  or  the  moose  of  America, 
is  truly  a  noble  animal,  and  the  grandest  rep- 
resentative of  the  deer,  which  is  the  largest 
family  of  ruminants  found  on  the  earth,  and 
inhabiting  every  quarter  of  the  globe  —  abun- 
dant in  the  torrid  as  well  as  in  the  frigid  zone. 
It  well  becomes  legislators  to  look  to  the  pro- 
tection of  this  great  quadruped,  and  prevent 
his  extinction.  The  illustration  is  of  a  Nor- 
wegian elk. 

A  new  shaft  had  to  be  provided  in  place  of 
the  broken  one,  and  it  was  nearly  nine  o'clock 
before  we  got  away.  However,  truth  compels 
me  to  say  that  I  think  we  were  principally  re- 
sponsible for  the  delay  ourselves.  We  had  en- 
joyed the  luxury  of  sound  sleep  to  a  late  hour, 
and  the  carriage  was  ready  as  soon  as  we  were. 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  331 

As  we  were  getting  into  the  carriage,  the  two 
under-graduates,  who  had  been  disappointed  in 
their  efforts  to  cross  the  mountains  through  Lap- 
land to  Tornea,  on  the  gulf  of  Bothnia,  and  so 
had  been  compelled  to  return  to  Trondhjem  and 
had  followed  on  the  same  road  as  we  had  come, 
drove  up.  They  had  been  compelled  to  stay 
all  night  at  Fogstuen  for  the  want  of  horses, 
and  they  described  the  battle  with  the  mosqui- 
toes as  absolutely  terrific. 

This  was  the  warmest  morning  we  had  felt 
this  year,  and  so  was  the  day,  throughout.  We 
early  laid  aside  wraps  and  quasi-winter  clothing. 

We  reached  Thoftemcen  in  one  hour,  a  distance 
of  a  little  over  seven  miles.  We  had  looked  for- 
ward to  this  station  with  great  interest,  for  it  is 
royal  if  not  classic  ground. 

The  Tofte  family,  of  which  our  station-keeper 
is  one,  are  acknowledged  by  all  to  be  lineal  de- 
scendants of  Harold  Haarfager,  or  the  Fair-haired, 
of  whom  I  have  already  spoken,  as  the  founder 
of  the  first  Norwegian  dynasty,  and  reigning  in 
Norway  and  Sweden  a  thousand  years  ago.  If 
he  is  a  fast  station-keeper  on  a  post-road,  he 
keeps  a  good  house  and  makes  moderate  charges, 
and  withal  is  very  wealthy,  as  are  the  other 


332  A   SUMMER  IN  NOR W 'AY. 

members  of  his  family.  He  is  very  proud  of  his 
royal  descent,  and  exacts  deference  and  respect 
in  recognition  of  it.  Unfortunately  he  was  not 
at  home,  so  we  did  not  see  the  head  of  the 
house,  but  we  were  careful  to  speak  every  one 
fairly  and  received  every  civility  in  return. 

When  Carl  XV.  was  on  his  way,  in  1860,  to 
Trondhjem,  with  about  fifty  in  his  suite,  to  receive 
the  Norwegian  crown  in  the  old  cathedral,  he 
stopped  for  dinner  at  Thoftemcen.  When  the 
royal  plate  was  about  to  be  brought  in,  Tofte 
proudly  told  the  king  that  it  was  quite  unnecessary, 
as  he  had  enough  plate  in  the  house  to  accom- 
modate twice  as  many  as  he  had  with  him,  and 
that  it  had  belonged  to  a  real  king  of  ancient 
and  royal  descent,  and  not  to  a  mere  pretender. 

The  king  recognized  the  pride  and  sensibility 
of  his  subject,  and  had  the  discretion  to  humor 
it,  and  professed  to  enjoy  his  dinner  hugely  from 
plate  so  honored,  and  treated  Tofte  with  every 
possible  consideration,  and  fairly  won  his  heart 
before  he  left. 

These  descendants  of  the  ancient  royal  line 
never  marry  out  of  the  family,  so  that  the  royal 
blood  is  kept  pure  from  plebeian  taint. 

At  Dombaas  we  struck  the  valley  of  the  Laa- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  333 

river,  which  rises  in  the  mountains  to  the 
west,  and  is,  at  this  point,  a  stream  of  consider- 
able magnitude,  rolling  down  its  rocky  bed  in 
perpetual  cascades.  In  general,  the  valley  is  nar- 
row, with  a  fertile  strip  of  land  alternately  on 
either  side,  and  is  bounded  by  high  and  precip- 
itous mountains.  Sometimes  the  sides  of  these 
mountains  are  capable  of  cultivation  to  a  great 
height,  where  they  will  be  seen  dotted  over  with 
farmsteads  like  a  checker-board. 

The  road  runs  on  the  east  side  of  the  river 
to  about  four  miles  below  Toftemcen,  where  it 
crosses  to  the  west  side.  The  bridge  at  this 
crossing  had  been  carried  away  by  a  freshet 
some  weeks  before,  so  we  had  to  cross  the  river 
on  an  old  rickety  bridge  at  this  station  from 
which  a  temporary  road  had  been  opened  down 
the  west  side  to  join  the  regular  road  at  the  old 
crossing. 

As  no  one  could  speak  a  word  of  English, 
even  in  the  royal  household,  it  took  a  little  time 
to  make  us  understand  the  situation,  and  that 
it  was  safer  that  we  should  cross  this  bridge  on 
foot.  So  soon  as  we  did  comprehend  it  we 
started  for  the  bridge,  and  when  we  reached  it 
we  readily  understood  the  prudence  of  the  sug- 


334  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

gestion.  It  swayed  and  trembled  even  by  the 
passage  on  foot,  and  the  foaming  of  the  torrent 
far  below  admonished  us  that  it  would  not  be 
a  pleasant  place  to  be  tumbled  into  with  a  car- 
riage. 

After  we  had  crossed,  we  took  seats  on  a 
sloping  grass-plat  beneath  the  shade  of  some 
bushes  which  protected  us  from  the  fierce  rays 
of  the  sun  which  now  poured  down  with  great 
intensity. 

Presently  we  saw  the  carriage  approach  with 
only  two  horses.  This  was  necessary  because 
the  bridge  was  not  wide  enough  to  admit  of 
three  abreast,  and  the  same  was  true  of  the  im- 
provised road  beyond.  The  ascent  of  the  bridge 
was  very  steep  and  rough,  and  it  was  all  the 
horses  could  do  to  pull  the  carriage  up ;  and 
as  they  scrambled  up  the  steep,  the  vibration  of 
the  bridge  was  fearful,  and  it  looked  as  if  the 
danger  was  great,  that  the  usefulness  of  Rose 
would  there  terminate,  and  our  journey  be  sus- 
pended for  the  time  at  least,  and  without  any 
insurance  on  our  baggage.  He,  however,  landed 
safely,  to  our  great  relief,  and  was  followed  by 
an  old  horse  and  an  old  crazy  carriole  which 
did  no  credit  to  the  royal  establishment  that 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  335 

furnished  it.  This  was  designed  for  my  use,  as 
the  three  ladies  would  make  as  much  load  as 
the  two  horses  could  draw  in  the  carriage. 

That  new  road  was  most  of  the  way  through 
a  dense  brush,  and  full  of  small  pine  stumps 
and  rocks ;  it  went  up  and  down  steep  pitches, 
and  was  frequently  sideling,  and  very  uncomfort- 
able, and  by  no  means  re-assuring. 

We  were  two  hours  making  the  four  miles, 
and  were  greatly  relieved  and  truly  rejoiced 
when  we  struck  into  the  old  road,  which  was 
smooth  and  of  regular,  easy  grade,  and  soon  run 
down  to  Brsndhaugen,  which  was  our  next  sta- 
tion. Here  we  got  some  luncheon. 

Before  we  left,  the  under-graduates  came  up  in 
their  carrioles,  full  of  execrations  upon  the  new 
road,  which  they  had  come  over  at  a  more  rapid 
pace  than  we  chose  to  endure,  and  they  declared 
they  were  fairly  shaken  to  pieces. 

We  made. good  time  to  Laurgaard,  which  is 
the  next  station,  where  we  again  crossed  the 
river.  At  this  point  a  road  turns  off  to  the  west 
which  the  young  gentlemen  were  to  take  for  an 
excursion  into  the  mountains  in  that  direction, 
and  strike  the  coast  through  Nord  Fjod. 

This  station   is   off  the   road  on   a  high   piece 


336  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

of  ground,  affording  a  fine  view  down  the  river 
valley,  which  showed  more  of  smiling  prosperous 
agriculture  than  we  had  seen  since  we  left 
Trondhjem. 

The  next  route  led  us  down  through  this 
beautiful  valley  to  Moen,  which  is  a  little  hamlet 
close  under  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  The  place 
is  by  no  means  as  inviting  as  the  country  above 
it. 

From  Moen  to  Bredevangen,  the  next  station, 
is  about  six  miles,  and  about  half-wav  between 

*• 

them  is  Kringlen,  where  Col.  George  Sinclair 
and  all  his  army  were  annihilated  more  than 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  during  the  war 
between  Denmark  and  Sweden. 

At  that  time  Norway  was  attached  to  Den- 
mark, which  was  ruled  over  by  Christian  IV. 
while  Gustavus  Adolphus  reigned  in  Sweden. 
Sinclair  raised  a  force  in  Scotland  to  assist  Gus- 
tavus Adolphus ;  but  as  the  entire  coast  was 
occupied  by  the  Danes,  from  Calmer  in  the  Bal- 
tic clear  around  to  the  North  Cape,  it  was  no 
easy  matter  for  the  Scotch  to  join  the  Swedes. 
The  bold  and  desperate  plan  was  finally  adopted 
to  land  on  the  west  coast  of  Norway  and  fight 
their  way  across  the  mountains  into  Sweden. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  337 

Sinclair,  with  nine  hundred  men,  passed  up 
the  Romsdel  Fjord,  and  landed  at  Romsdalen 
and  pursued  the  road  to  Dombaas,  and  thence 
down  the  valley  of  the  Laagen  to  Romundgaard, 
which  is  close  by  Laurgaard,  where  they  spent 
the  night  of  the  25th  of  August,  1612. 

Their  march  through  the  country  had  been 
marked  by  those  excesses  of  rapine  and  destruc- 
tion characteristic  of  warfare  in  those  times, 
and  the  next  day  they  swept  down  the  beautiful 
valley  before  them,  flushed  with  success  and 
plunder,  having  met  with  no  dangerous  opposi- 
tion since  they  landed  in  Norway,  nor  did  they 
ipprehend  any,  for  most  of  the  able-bodied  men 
of  the  country  had  gone  to  the  war,  leaving  only 
the  old,  the  young  and  the  women  to  care  for 
their  homes,  which  in  the  recesses  of  those 
mountains  they  supposed  were  far  removed  from 
danger.  Thus  the  very  audacity  of  this  bold 
movement  had  so  far  insured  its  success. 

At  Kringlen  the  mountain  from  a  great  height 
appears  like  a  smooth  naked  rock,  and  slopes  to 
the  water's  edge,  like  the  roof  of  a  house.  At 
the  foot  of  this  rock  and  close  to  the  edge  of 
the  water,  ran  the  road  along  which  the  army 
must  pass.  I  judge  this  peculiar  formation  con- 


338  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

tinues  for  quite  half  a  mile.  The  old  men  and 
boys,  and  probably  the  women,  had  here  antici- 
pated the  enemy  by  placing  at  the  top  of  this 
sloping  mountain  immense  quantities  of  logs  and 
rock,  all  so  held  that  they  could  be  simultane- 
ously discharged. 

Sinclair  had  received  no  intimation  of  this 
preparation  for  his  reception,  and  rendered  con- 
fident by  the  absence  of  all  opposition  thus  far, 
rushed  gaily  into  the  terrible  dead-fall  set  for 
him.  When  all  had  passed  within  the  fatal  lines, 
the  whole  collection  of  missiles  was  discharged 
at  the  same  moment,  and  crushed  in  an  instant 
or  swept  into  the  river  the  greatest  part  of  the 
army.  The  few  that  survived  were  dispatched 
upon  the  spot  by  their  enemies  who  rushed  upon 
them  in  the  midst  of  the  confusion,  and  before 
even  the  smoke  and  the  dust  of  the  avalanche 
had  cleared  away.  Not  a  soul  escaped.  The 
history  of  human  warfare  shows  no  other  instance 
where  so  large  an  army  was  utterly  destroyed 
to  the  last  man,  in  so  short  a  time. 

So  great  an  event  as  this,  of  course,  could 
not  take  place  without  its  romance,  and  this  is 
the  one  related  of  this  transaction.  Lady  Sin- 
clair accompanied  the  expedition,  which  was  well 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  339 

known  throughout  the  country.  A  young  man 
who  had  remained  from  the  wars  was  to  be 
married  that  evening.  His  sweetheart,  hearing 
there  was  a  lady  in  the  doomed  army,  enjoined 
it  upon  him  to  protect  and  save  the  lady  at  all 
hazards,  a  commission  which  he  undertook  and 
promised  to  faithfully  execute.  In  the  midst  of 
the  melee,  he  sought  out  Lady  Sinclair,  and 
rushed  up  to  afford  the  promised  protection,  but 
she,  mistaking  his  purpose,  shot  him  dead,  and 
then  herself  shared  the  sad  fate  of  her  com- 
panions. 

We  may  well  imagine  the  wailing  and  woe 
of  the  promised  bride,  instead  of  the  gladness 
and  rejoicing  which  she  had  anticipated. 

The  place  of  the  tragedy  is  marked  upon 
the  face  of  the  rock,  and  is  pointed  out  to  the 
traveler  as  referring  to  one  of  the  great  events 
in  Norwegian  history. 

Colonel  Sinclair  was  buried  further  down  the 
road,  near  Storklevstad,  where  a  monument  is 
erected,  consisting  of  a  large  rough  ashler,  with 
an  inscription  in  Norsk,  of  which  this  is  given 
as  a  translation : 

Here  was  buried  George  Sinclair,  the  leader  of  the  Scotch, 
after  having  fallen  at  Kringlen  on  the  26th  August,  1612. 


340  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

I  admit  it  is  a  suspicious  circumstance  that 
no  one  can  point  out  where  his  wife  was  buried, 
nor  is  known  the  final  resting-place  of  the  brave 
youth  who  gallantly  lost  his  life  in  trying  to 
protect  her,  and  found  a  grave  instead  of  a 
nuptial  bed. 

Some  authorities  claim  that  two  of  the  Scots 
escaped,  and  others  that  sixty  prisoners  were 
taken  who  were  afterward  slaughtered  in  cold 
blood. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 


STORKLEVSLAD;  SECURE  A  GOOD  DINNER;  OIEN;  NORWEGIAN 
TIMBER;  A  RACE  FOR  HORSES;  WE  WIN;  LISTAD;  SKJ^EGG- 
STAD;  THE  BEGGARS  IN  NORWAY;  LAST  OF  THE  SNOW- 
MOUNTAINS;  KERKESTUEN;  THE  ROAD  ALONG  THE  RIVER; 
HOLMEN  AND  FoSSEGAARDEN ;  VEXATIOUS  DELAY  WAITING 
FOR  HORSES;  NEED  OF  PATIENCE;  LOWER  VALLEY  OF  THE 
LAAGEN;  LAKE  MJOSEN;  REACH  LILLEHAMMER. 

THE  distance  from  Bredevangen  to  Storklev- 
stad  is  about  eleven  miles.  We  reached 
here  about  six  o'clock  p.  M.  We  had  fixed  upon 
Oien,  scarcely  six  miles  hence,  as  our  resting- 
place  for  the  night.  We  soon  discovered  there 
was  trouble  about  horses.  We  did  not  speak 
Norske  so  anyone  could  understand  it,  and  as  for 
English,  not  a  soul  there  could  speak  a  word 
of  it.  At  last,  by  the  use  of  figures  and  pan- 
tomimes, we  were  made  to  comprehend  that  we 
could  not  get  horses  till  eleven  o'clock  that 
night.  We  suspected  it  was  a  ruse  to  secure 
our  patronage  for  the  night,  and  so  felt 
strongly  inclined  to  stick  it  out.  We  had  al- 
ready been  hanging  around  the  carriage  for 
an  hour  without  going  into  the  house,  and 

(341) 


342  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

indeed  were  rather  out  of  humor.  However, 
I  went  in  and  looked  at  the  rooms,  which 
were  comfortable  enough ;  so  I  returned  soft- 
ened, and  advised  a  halt  for  the  night.  Ac- 
cordingly we  went  in  and  ordered  dinner. 

We  ordered  ham  and  eggs  —  we  knew  the 
Norwegian  for  that  —  but  the  great  trouble  was 
to  make  them  understand  that  we  wanted  the 
ham  fried  without  being  first  boiled,  as  we  had 
universally  found  that  the  proper  thing  in  Nor- 
way was  to  first  boil  the  ham  and  then  fry  it. 
Our  protracted  efforts  to  make  this  understood 
evidently  put  the  good  landlady  out  of  humor. 

Now  this  is  the  worst  thing  in  the  world  a 
traveler  can  do,  if  he  would  study  his  own  com- 
fort. So  we  all  went  to  work  to  make  ourselves 
agreeable  and  repair  the  mischief.  Some  kissed 
the  children  ;  some  admired  the  flowers,  and  oth- 
ers the  photographs,  and  very  soon  we  found 
everything  around  us  smiling.  The  ham  came 
on  fried  to  a  turn,  and  in  the  way  we  wanted, 
and  the  first  portion  doubled.  White  bread  was 
produced,  and  the  tea  was  well  brewed.  The 
landlady  evidently  concluded  that  fried  ham  was 
our  weakness ;  so  every  time  she  came  into  the 
room,  the  first  question  was,  'mere  skinke  f  mere 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  343 

skinkef  which  she  saw  with  delight  we  could 
understand,  and  I  do  believe  the  young  ladies 
took  a  delight  in  giving  an  affirmative  answer, 
even  after  they  had  really  had  enough. 

However,  dinner  was  ended  at  last,  in  a  most 
satisfactory  manner,  when  I  took  a  walk  through 
the  fields  for  half  a  mile,  to  the  bank  of  the 
river,  and  there  enjoyed  half  an  hour  or  more 
watching  some  anglers  who  were  having  fine 
sport,  for  the  fish  seemed  to  be  biting  briskly, 
and  the  baskets  were  being  rapidly  filled.  I 
could  not  tell  what  kind  of  fish  they  were,  but 
probably  trout.  When  I  returned  to  the  house 
we  ordered  breakfast  for  seven  o'clock,  and 
retired.  We  were  anxious  to  reach  Lilleham- 
mer  the  next  day,  and  so  must  take  an  early 
start.  Thanks  to  the  high  latitude,  we  could 
ride  late  at  night  and  still  have  the  light  of 
the  sun  to  make  us  forget  that  it  was  late. 

The  next  morning  we  were  off  in  good  season, 
and  made  the  stage  to  Oien  at  a  rapid  speed. 

The  river  had  now  received  many  large  trib- 
utaries, and  was  carrying  an  immense  body  of 
water  over  a  very  rocky  bed  and  was  almost 
a  continued  rapid.  The  day  before  we  had 
noticed  saw-logs  drifting  with  the  rapid  current 


344  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

which  came  in  from  the  tributaries,  mostly  from 
the  west  side,  having  their  rise  in  the  lumber- 
regions,  away  in  the  mountains.  We  should  call 
them  saw-logs  only  by  courtesy,  for  they  looked 
more  like  telegraph  poles  than  saw -logs.  I 
should  judge  they  ranged  from  six  to  eighteen 
inches  in  diameter  at  the  butt,  and  were  from 
ten  to  thirty  feet  in  length ;  indeed  they  were 
cut  as  long  as  the  tree  would  admit.  Still,  small 
as  they  were,  they  were  to  be  sawed  into  lumber. 
Although  I  did  not  visit  any  of  the  saw-mills,  I 
learned  that  they  are  cut  through  and  through, 
and  then  edged  into  boards,  cut  to  several  lengths 
as  each  board  could  be  dealt  with  to  the  best 
advantage. 

While  Norway  is  a  great  lumber  country,  I 
saw  no  large  trees  or  large  logs ;  they  work  up 
sticks  which  no  one  in  this  country  would  ever 
think  of  taking  to  a  saw-mill.  I  have  seen  in 
the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Black  Hills,  exten- 
sive tracts,  densely  covered  with  the  same  kind 
of  timber,  which,  in  the  same  way,  could  be  cut 
into  good  lumber,  but  which  is  now  considered 
of  no  value  for  that  purpose. 

We  did  not  alight  at  Oien  but  changed  horses 
as  quickly  as  possible.  Our  driver  was  stimu- 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  345 

lated  by  a  carriage  which  drove  up  to  the  last 
station  just  as  we  were  leaving,  that  evidently 
had  taken  an  early  start  in  order  to  get  the  lead, 
and  thus  stand  a  better  chance  to  get  fresh 
horses.  This  we  were  not  disposed  to  yield,  for 
experience  had  shown  us  that  the  greatest  delay 
for  horses  occurs  in  the  after  part  of  the  day, 
when  those  in  the  lead  may  meet  with  no  deten- 
tion while  the  next  coming  may  have  to  wait  for 
hours.  At  best,  there  must  be  several  ahead  of 
us  who  had  taken  the  road  at  stations  further 
on,  and  we  could  not  afford  to  lose  our  advan- 
tage if  we  hoped  to  reach  Lillehammer  that 
night,  which  we  had  determined  to  do. 

Although  we  had  a  right  to  take  a  week  to 
make  the  journey  in,  yet  if  we  could  make  it  in 
the  more  usual  time  of  four  days,  all  the  better. 
All  had  stood  the  journey  so  well  that  there 
was  a  general  desire  to  get  through  that  night, 
although  it  would  make  a  longer  drive  than  we 
had  yet  had. 

We  were  off  before  the  other  carriage  came 
in  sight,  and  in  fact  we  saw  no  more  of  them 
that  day. 

The  next  was  a  short  stage,  the  road  was  fine 
and  all  the  way  a  down  grade,  and  we  made 


346  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

encouraging  progress  and  reached  Listad  and 
drove  up  to  the  station  before  we  expected  it. 

After  that  we  had  a  drive  of  nine  miles  to 
Skjaeggestad,  which  we  made  at  a  rattling  pace, 
which  left  the  little  beggars  who  beset  the  trav- 
eler along  this  part  of  the  road,  and  who  had 
been  particularly  numerous  on  the  last  route, 
little  time  to  ask  for  alms. 

The  only  beggars  I  saw  in  Norway  were 
along  this  part  of  this  road.  They  consist  of 
children  who  run  along  the  side  of  the  carriage 
soliciting  chanty  with  wo-begone  countenances, 
much  as  I  have  seen  them  in  Italy.  It  seemed 
to  have  been  adopted  here,  as  we  were  informed, 
as  a  sort  of  a  profession  and  not  from  want,  so 
we  did  not  allow  our  sympathies  to  be  awakened 
to  any  very  lively  extent  in  their  behalf,  although 
it  was  really  distressing  to  see  how  fast  and  how 
long  they  would  run,  with  the  hope  of  melting 
your  obduracy.  But  I  concluded  that  it  was  prob- 
ably a  good  exercise  and  would  expand  their 
lungs,  harden  up  their  muscles,  and  in  the  end 
make  them  great  pedestrians.  At  least,  I  hope 
it  did  them  good. 

Travelers  are  requested  by  the  authorities 
not  to  give  to  these  beggars,  as  the  only  means 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  347 

of  suppressing  a  nuisance ;  all  that  charity  de- 
mands has  been  provided  by  government. 

This  day  we  saw  the  last  of  the  snow  mount- 
ains. Since  we  sighted  the  Norwegian  coast  on 
the  morning  of  the  2ist  of  June,  we  had  every 
day  been  in  sight  of  snow,  and  much  of  the 
time  almost  amongst  it. 

We  now  viewed  the  last  snow  peak,  as  it  was 
shut  out  by  an  intervening  range,  with  interest, 
if  not  with  regret.  It  told  us  that  we  were  get- 
ting back  into  a  more  southern  if  not  a  more 

o 

hospitable  country,  although  we  knew  we  were 
a  considerable  way  north  of  St.  Petersburgh, 
which  we  had  always  been  taught  to  consider 
as  near  the  North  Pole  as  Christians  ought  to 
live. 

We  rushed  on  to  Kerkestuen  over  the  same 
smooth  road  we  had  had  the  whole  day,  with  a 
gradual  descent  which  just  required  the  horses 
to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  carriage.  The 
sun  shone  brightly  and  it  was  uncomfortably 
warm,  but  the  atmosphere  was  pure,  the  drive 
exhilarating,  the  scenery  beautiful  rather  than 
grand. 

The  road  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  all 
the  way  from  Laurgaard,  and  most  of  the  way 


348  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

close  to  the  bank.  The  rapids,  cascades  and 
falls,  where  the  wild  leaping  waters  rushed  around 
large  rocks  and  through  deep  and  tortuous  chan- 
nels, formed  a  perpetual  study,  and  I  amused 
myself  by  imagining  an  American  Indian  in  his 
bark-canoe,  skillfully  and  successfully  shooting 
the  rapids. 

We  passed  Holmen  without  detention,  and 
rapidly ;  and  now,  as  we  had  but  one  more  change 
of  horses  before  reaching  Lillehammer,  we  were 
congratulating  ourselves  that  we  would  termi- 
nate our  journey  by  six  o'clock,  which  was  ear- 
lier than  we  had  hoped  for,  at  the  best. 

When  we  reached  Fossegaarden  we  met  with 
a  vexatious  disappointment.  The  station  is  some 
distance  off  the  road,  upon  a  steep  bluff  more 
than  one  hundred  feet  above  it.  We  stopped 
in  the  road  and  Rose  took  off  the  horses  and 
led  them  up  the  zigzag  track  to  the  station, 
and  after  awhile  returned  and  said  the  horses 
would  be  sent  down  in  half  an  hour. 

The  sun  was  beating  down  upon  us  in  great 
force  under  the  bluff,  and  we  got  out  of  the  car- 
riage and  sought  shelter  under  the  fence  and 
some  shrubbery  by  the  way-side. 

The  delay,  though  vexatious,  was  not  without 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  349 

an  interest.  The  river  was  a  little  way  off  and 
perhaps  thirty  or  forty  feet  below  us.  A  swift 
rapid  commenced  a  quarter  of  a  mile  above  and 
rushed  down  with  a  constantly  accelerated  cur- 
rent, which  was  divided  in  several  places  by 
huge  rocks,  till  it  pitched  over  a  fall  probably 
fifteen  or  twenty  feet  high.  The  face  of  the  fall 
was  considerably  indented,  the  deepest  channel 
being  higher  up  the  stream  than  on  either  side. 
The  rapid  continued  for  a  considerable  distance 
below  the  fall,  where  the  water  surged  and 
foamed  in  an  angry  way  as  the  current  was 
opposed  by  many  large  rocks  which  showed  their 
heads  above  it. 

The  saw-logs,  or  rather  long  poles,  as  already 
described,  were  drifting  singly  down  the  current, 
at  the  rate,  probably,  of  ten  or  twelve  in  a  min- 
ute, and  it  was  quite  interesting  to  watch  them. 
Several  would  start  together  at  the  head  of  the 
rapid,  and  run  a  race  down  as  if  upon  a  wager. 
Of  course  those  nearest  the  middle  channel  al- 
ways won,  unless  they  touched  some  obstacle 
which  would  thrust  them  out  into  slower  water. 
But  the  most  interesting  feature  was  to  watch 
them  plunge  over  the  fall.  Some  passed  over 
endways  and  others  sideways  at  every  imagina- 


350  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

ble  angle.  All  disappeared  with  the  plunge,  and 
many  did  not  reappear  for  one  or  two  hundred 
feet.  Frequently,  if  one  passed  over  endways, 
though  forty  feet  long,  it  would  disappear,  for  a 
second  or  more,  and  would  then,  from  a  point 
fifty  feet  or  more  below  the  fall,  shoot  up  verti- 
cally its  whole  length,  and  then  fall  over,  always 
down  the  stream,  showing  that  it  retained  the 
momentum  which  had  been  given  to  the  top 
end  by  the  current,  which  exactly  brought  it  to 
a  vertical  position  when  it  left  the  water.  This 
exhibition  only  occurred  in  one  place,  showing 
that  at  an  immense  depth  there  was  a  rock  with 
a  smooth  surface,  the  face  of  which  was  set  at 
the  exact  inclination  to  fairly  receive  the  end 
of  the  log  as  it  made  the  plunge,  and  from  this 
it  rebounded  as  described. 

We  soon  got  so  that  we  could  anticipate  with 
confidence  when  to  expect  this  exhibition,  from 
the  position  of  the  log  or  pole. 

This,  however,  became  wearisome,  and  so  did 
all  the  other  objects  with  which  we  tried  to 
amuse  ourselves,  constantly  watching  the  angle 
of  the  road  which  should  bring  the  horses  into 
view. 

At   last,  out  of  patience,  I  went  up  to   Rose, 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  351 

who  was  quietly  dozing  on  the  box,  and  hastily 
cried  out,  strax  hestes,  and  pointed  toward  the 
top  of  the  hill.  He  scrambled  up  the  steep 
foot-path,  but  it  was  two  hours  from  the  time 
of  our  arrival  before  the  horses  appeared.  Had 
I  not  been  of  a  very  amiable  disposition,  I  fear 
I  should  have  been  out  of  patience,  for  cer- 
tainly the  two  hours  were  as  hard  to  endure 
there  in  the  broiling  sun  as  if  we  had  been  trav- 
eling with  new  objects  all  the  while  to  cheer  us. 

The  nine  miles  to  Lillehammer  were  made  in 
an  hour  and  a  quarter.  As  we  approached  the 
lake,  the  valley  spread  out  to  a  width  of  per- 
haps two  miles,  and  was  charmingly  cultivated, 
and  dotted  all  over  with  nice  cottages,  always 
a  beautiful  feature  in  a  country  landscape. 

Lillehammer  is  a  very  pretty  place,  at  the 
head  of  Lake  Mjosen.  This  is  the  largest  lake 
in  Norway.  It  is  nearly  seventy  miles  long,  and 
is  from  half  a  mile  to  several  miles  in  width. 
Its  course  is  nearly  north  and  south.  It  con- 
tains several  islands,  the  largest  of  which  is  near 
midway  of  the  lake,  where  it  is  the  widest ;  at 
which  point  it  throws  off  an  arm  to  the  north- 
east, several  miles  in  extent. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 


LILLEHAMMER;  DOCKS  AT  THE  LANDINGS;  A  GARDEN  OF  ROSES; 
HONEST  HORSES;  THE  FALLS;  LAKE  MJOSEN;  EFFECT  OF  THE 
LISBON  EARTHQUAKE;  HELGIO;  HAMMER;  VORMEN  RIVER; 
ElDSVOLD,  AN  HISTORICAL  CITY,  CRADLE  OF  NORWEGIAN  LIB- 
ERTY; TRANSFER  OF  NORWAY  TO  SWEDEN  IN  l8lO;  THE  SECRET 
TREATY;  CONVENTION  AT  EIDSVOLD  IN  1814;  A  KING  ELECTED; 
THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  NORWAY;  KING  ABDICATES,  AND  KlNG  OF 
SWEDEN  ELECTED  KING  OF  NORWAY;  INCORRUPTIBILITY  OF  THE 
STORTHING;  NATIONAL  INDEPENDENCE. 

LILLEHAMMER  is  situated  on  two  em- 
inences overlooking  the  lake,  with  a  view 
up  the  valley  of  the  Laagan.  In  the  estuary  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  the  floating  timber  we 
had  seen  drifting  down  the  river  was  collected 
to  an  immense  amount,  and  is  thence  trans- 
ported to  different  points  on  the  lake  to  be  cut 
up  into  lumber. 

We  drove  on  directly  through  that  part  of 
the  town  situated  on  the  first  eminence,  across 
the  valley,  which  is  well  built  up,  to  the  Ham- 
mer hotel,  which  is  built  on  the  southern  em- 
inence. Here  we  found  comfortable  rooms,  in 
which  we  were  soon  established  and  ordered 
dinner. 

23  (353) 


354  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

After  dinner  a  walk  through  the  town,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  hotel,  finally  led  to  the 
edge  of  the  high  bluff,  which  rises  rapidly  from 
the  shores  of  the  lake  to  the  height  of  at  least 
two  hundred  feet.  This  point  affords  a  magnif- 
icent view  of  the  lake  and  the  opposite  shore, 
and  up  the  valley  of  the  river,  which  empties 
into  the  lake  at  its  very  head. 

There  are  two  docks  at  which  the  steamboats 
stop  for  passengers  to  accommodate  those  from 
the  upper  and  lower  parts  of  the  town.  The 
lower-dock  with  a  comfortable  station-house  upon 
it  is  directly  under  this  bluff. 

The  streets  of  the  town  are  broad  and  clean. 
The  houses  are  mostly  of  wood ;  look  neat  and 
clean,  and  are  generally  surrounded  with  gardens 
and  lawns,  and  present  an  air  of  comfort  and 
contentment. 

On  my  return  I  was  invited  into  the  flower 
garden  belonging  to  the  hotel.  It  was  of  con- 
siderable size,  with  clean  gravel  walks,  and  a  fine 
variety  of  flowers  now  in  full  bloom.  The  vari- 
ety of  roses  was  very  fine,,  and  altogether  it 
presented  a  charming  appearance ;  especially  as 
these  were  the  first  out-door  flowers  we  had 
met  with,  of  any  considerable  extent,  since  our 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  355 

first  landing  in  Norway.  A  couple  of  summer- 
houses  or  arbors  invited  to  a  quiet  seat,  while 
the  perfume  of  the  flowers  on  the  clear  bracing 
atmosphere  of  the  north  enhanced  the  pleas- 
ures of  rest  after  the  fatiguing  day's  ride. 

Back  of  the  garden  was  a  dense  collection 
of  shrubbery,  through  which  were  rambling  walks, 
and  beyond  this  an  open  lawn,  across  which 
was  a  foot-path  which  seemed  to  lead  from  the 
town  above,  down  to  the  shores  of  the  lake. 

In  this  path  some  parties  met,  between  whom 
an  altercation  took  place,  which  at  first  I  thought 
threatened  violence,  but .  before  they  came  to 
blows,  some  women  rushed  up  and  interposed 
and  finally  succeeded  in  separating  them.  There 
was  not  enough  of  this  to  be  worthy  of  men- 
tion, except  from  the  fact  that  it  was  the  only 
thing  approaching  a  personal  altercation  which 
I  saw  in  Norway  during  my  whole  journey.  I 
have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  there  is  less 
crime  and  violence  in  Norway  than  in  any 
other  country  in  which  I  have  traveled. 

Between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock  the  sun  had 
gone  down,  and  the  shades  of  night  actually 
began  to  gather  around  us.  The  approaching 
darkness  produced  an  agreeable  sensation,  to 


356  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

which  we  had  been  long  strangers,  and  I  lin- 
gered in  the  garden  till  the  lights  of  the  lamps 
shone  in  the  house.  That  night  we  went  to 
bed  by  the  light  of  a  lamp,  and  went  to  sleep 
in  good  honest  darkness.  Our  sleep  was  sound 
and  sweet  and  the  sun  was  high  up  before  we 
awakened. 

We  had  not  time  or  strength  to  visit  the 
celebrated  falls  on  the  Usen  river,  back  of 
Lillehammer.  Those  who  have  seen  them  con- 
sider them,  as  a  series,  the  finest  in  Norway. 
The  river  tumbles  down  a  rocky  chasm,  from 
a  great  altitude,  by  forty  or  fifty  distinct  leaps 
or  falls,  varying  from  ten  to  one  hundred  feet, 
which  are  connected  by  rushing,  foaming  rapids 
and  cascades.  What  a  pity  Chicago  has  not 
even  one  of  these  for  hydraulic  purposes !  A 
cotton  mill  and  a  few  small  flouring  mills  only 
use  this  immense  power.  To  see  these  falls,  in 
their  extent  and  sublimity,  the  traveler  must 
clamber  up  the  rocky  way  on  foot.  In  winter, 
no  doubt,  they  present  a  grand  spectacle. 

We  took  an  early  breakfast  and  got  into  a 
large,  open  ten-seated  wagon,  and  behind  two 
real  horses — the  first  I  had  been  behind  in 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  357 

Norway  —  started  for  the  steamboat  landing, 
down  a  pretty  steep  hillside  road. 

We  were  delighted  to  find  the  steamboat 
at  the  dock,  so  that  we  could  step  on  board 
without  the  intervention  of  the  waterman  and 
his  little  boat,  which  constitutes  one  of  the 
great  annoyances  of  water  travel  in  this  coun- 
try. This  was  the  first  time  in  Norway  we 
had  been  exempt  from  this  inconvenience.  On 
this  lake  the  steamers  always  go  up  to  the 
docks,  at  their  regular  landing-places,  and  their 
officers  seem  to  handle  them  with  the  neces- 
sary skill  to  do  it  safely  and  expeditiously. 

Lake  Mjosen  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  limpid 
water,  of  great  depth,  and  is  well  peopled  with 
a  good  variety  of  fish.  I  have  already  given 
its  course  and  dimensions,  when  speaking  of 
the  Norwegian  lakes.  It  is  not  strictly  a 
mountain  lake,  with  bold,  rocky  shores,  like 
those  in  the  more  mountainous  regions,  but 
lies  between  ridges,  with  sloping  sides  descend- 
ing from  an  altitude  of  several  hundred  feet 
to,  the  water's  edge. 

These  slopes  are  evidently  very  fertile,  and 
are  everywhere  dotted  over  with  farmsteads,  in  a 
high  state  of  cultivation,  with  nice  rural  homes 


358  A   SUMMER  IN  NOR W 'AY. 

and  good  barns  and  out-houses,  interspersed  with 
many  groves  of  rather  dwarfed  trees. 

In  sailing  through  this  lake,  we  saw  by  far 
the  richest  agricultural  country  we  had  seen  in 
Norway,  and  it  is  rarely  surpassed  in  beauty. 
The  lake  commences  at  what  may  be  called  the 
foot  of  the  mountains,  and  it  extends  from  the 
mountains  to  the  plains.  Its  lower  end  is  in  the 
plains  of  Norway ;  its  upper  end  is  in  the  foot- 
hills, which  gradually  subside  as  we  advance  to 
the  south.  It  reminded  me  more  of  the  Seneca 
Lake  of  New  York,  and  its  broad,  rich  uplands 
on  either  side,  than  any  other  place  I  have  ever 
seen,  and  I  know  not  how  to  say  more  for  the 
beauty  of  the  lake  and  its  surroundings  than  to 
give  it  this  comparison.  This  only  applies  to 
the  upper  portion  of  'the  lake. 

Besides  the  regular  landing  which  the  steamer 
makes,  there  are  many  pretty  little  hamlets  along 
the  shores  of  the  lake,  and  fine  rural  residences 
close  to  the  water,  with  their  little  boat-houses, 
probably  occupied  as  summer  residences,  and 
they  looked  like  quiet  retreats  from  city  life. 
As  we  approached  these,  frequently  boats  would 
put  out  and  intercept  the  steamer — which  would 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  359 

change  her  course  to  meet  them  —  and  bring  on 
board  or  take  off  passengers. 

It  is  a  most  remarkable  -  circumstance  related 
of  this  lake,  that  the  great  Lisbon  earthquake  of 
X755  was  felt  by  it  to  sucn  an  extent  as  to 
raise  its  waters,  as  if  some  monster  beneath 
them  was  rising  up  from  a  long  sleep,  to  the 
height  of  twenty  feet  or  more,  and  then  imme- 
diately subsided.  This  caused  great  destruction 
along  its  banks.  The  immense  distance  between 
these  places  seems  to  have  been  comparatively 
unaffected.  From  its  receiving  the  drainage  of 
an  immense  district  of  mountainous  country,  it 
is  subject  to  sudden  floods,  which  are  sometimes 
very  disastrous. 

After  we  had  proceeded  more  than  half  the 
length  of  the  lake,  we  reached  the  large  island 
of  Hilgio,  which  is  situated  in  the  broadest  part 
of  the  lake,  opposite  which  the  largest  arm  of 
the  lake  is  projected  to  the  northeast. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  mention  the  various  towns 
at  which  the  steamer  stopped ;  the  most  impor- 
tant of  which  was  Hammer,  nearly  in  front  of 
the  large  island. 

At  Hammer  are  the  ruins  of  an  old  church, 
claimed  to  be  the  oldest  in  Norway  next  to  the 


360  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

great  cathedral  at  Trondhjem.  The  ruins  are  on 
the  lake  beach,  and  may  be  seen  from  the 
steamer. 

At  the  foot  of  the  lake  is  the  considerable 
town  of  Minde.  There  we  entered  the  river 
Vormen,  which  is  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  and 
ran  down  it  for  eight  miles  to  Eidsvold,  or 
Eidsvoldbakken,  which  is  the  end  of  the  steam- 
boat route,  and  where  we  had  to  take  rail  for 
Christiana. 

Eidsvold,  although  a  small  interior  town  of 
little  commercial  importance,  is  the  most  famous 
town  in  Norway,  and  is  looked  upon  with  abso- 
lute reverence  as  the  very  cradle  of  Norwegian 
liberty. 

More  than  a  thousand  years  ago,  during  and 
even  before  the  time  of  Halvdan  the  Black, 
who  died  in  860,  and  was  the  father  of  Harold 
Haarfager,  Eidsvold  was  the  capital  of  a  rude 
democracy,  which,  however,  acknowledged  Halv- 
dan as  its  king.  Here  the  people  held  their 
great  assemblies,  and  by  their  direct  votes  passed 
their  general  laws,  which  were,  no  doubt,  few 
and  short  and  directly  to  the  point.  Whether 
they  were  written  laws  we  do  not  know,  but  if 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  361 

they  were  I  cannot  learn  that  any  vestiges  of 
them  have  been  handed  down  to  posterity. 

Written  laws  are  of  comparatively  modern 
date,  and  are  evidence  of  a  high  advancement 
in  civilization.  The  laws  of  the  Great  Lycurgus 
were  never  written,  nor  is  there  any  evidence 
that  Sparta  was  ever  governed  by  a  written  code. 
The  bloody  laws  of  Draco,  which  were  adopted 
for  the  government  of  Athens  three  hundred 
years  after  the  time  of  Lycurgus,  are  the  first, 
after  the  Mosaic  laws,  claimed  to  have  been 
reduced  to  writing,  and  the  probability  is  that 
all  those  little  democracies  which  existed  in 
Scandinavia  in  those  rude  and  early  times  were 
governed  by  a  few  simple  laws  only  preserved 
in  the  memories  of  men. 

Whether  this  ancient  distinction  claimed  for 
Eidsvold  had  any  influence  in  its  selection  as  the 
seat  for  the  vastly  more  important'  legislative 
events  which  it  subsequently  witnessed,  I  do  not 
know.  Let  us  now,  for  a  few  moments,  turn  our 
attention  to  those  great  events. 

In  :533»  Norway  favored  Christian  II.  of  Den- 
mark, who  was  finally  defeated  by  Christian  III., 
who  revenged  himself  upon  Norway  and  made 
it  a  dependence  of  Denmark,  deprived  it  of  its 


362  A   SUMMER  IN  NOR W 'AY. 

parliament  and  of  its  popular  representation, 
and  so  as  a  Danish  dependence  it  continued  for 
nearly  five  hundred  years,  although,  as  time  wore 
on,  the  fraternal  feelings  between  the  two  peo- 
ples gradually  increased  till  a  decided  feeling  of 
loyalty  for  Denmark  had  grown  up  among  the 
Norwegians,  which  was  deeply  lacerated  when 
they  were  violently  torn  asunder.  During  this 
time  much  had  been  conceded  to  the  independ- 
ence of  Norway,  including  a  parliament,  with  a 
show  at  least,  and  even  much  of  the  substance, 
of  a  representative  government. 

In  1810,  Bernadotte,  one  of  Napoleon's  gen- 
erals, the  son  of  a  notary  of  the  Pyrenees,  was 
elected  Crown  Prince  of  Sweden,  and  in  the 
same  year  a  secret  treaty  was  made  with  Rus- 
sia, which  was  afterwards  confirmed  by  the  allied 
powers,  guaranteeing  "Norway  to  Sweden  in  con- 
sideration that  Sweden  should  join  the  allies 
against  Napoleon. 

In  1812,  the  Swedes  actually  joined  the  coali- 
tion in  pursuance  of  the  secret  treaty,  and 
Bernadotte  led  the  Swedish  army,  which  did  effi- 
cient service  toward  the  overthrow  of  the  French 
Emperor. 

After  this,   Denmark  was    compelled   by  force 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  363 

of  arms  to  submit  to  the  terms  of  this  treaty, 
and  give  up  Norway. 

The  Norwegians  felt  outraged  at  being  thus 
transferred  like  slaves  without  their  knowledge 
or  consent.  Prince  Christian,  the  heir-apparent 
to  the  Danish  throne,  who  then  held  his  court 
in  Christiana,  as  governor-general  of  Norway, 
naturally  sympathized  with  the  Norwegians  and 
called  a  convention  to  meet  at  the  town  of  Eids- 
vold  to  consider  the  situation.  The  members  of 
that  convention  were  elected  by  the  people,  and 
a  more  courageous  or  patriotic  body  of  men  were 
never  assembled  to  deliberate  upon  the  welfare 
of  an  imperiled  country.  They  combined  the 
patriotism  of  our  own  continental  congress  which 
proclaimed  our  declaration  of  independence,  with 
the  wisdom  of  the  convention  which  formed  our 
national  constitution. 

The  convention  met  at  Eidsvold  on  the  nth 
of  April,  1814;  declared  the  independence  of 
Norway;  elected  Prince  Christian  their  king;  and 
framed  and  adopted  the  present  constitution  of 
Norway,  which  was  accepted  by  the  newly  elected 
king. 

Although  I  have  before  spoken  of  the  freedom 
secured  by  this  constitution,  I  think  a  little  ful- 


364  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

ler  statement  of  its  provisions,  now  that  we  are 
upon  the  very  ground  which  gave  it  birth,  may 
not  be  uninteresting. 

It  provides  first  for  the  assembling  of  the, 
great  national  congress,  called  the  Storthing. 
The  members  of  the  Storthing  are  elected  by 
the  people,  for  the  term  of  three  years. 

Suffrage  is  not  universal,  but  an  elector  must 
be  a  native  of  Norway,  must  be  twenty-five  years 
of  age,  and  must  have  had  a  freehold  or  lease- 
hold interest  of  a  farm  in  the  country  for  five 
years  and  paying  taxes  thereon,  or  own  real 
estate  in  town  of  the  value  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars.  To  be  eligible  to  the  Storthing, 
the  candidate  must  be  thirty  years  of  age,  and,  if 
a  foreigner,  must  have  resided  in  Norway  ten 
years. 

The  Storthing  is  divided  into  an  upper  and  a 
lower  house.  The  former  is  called  the  Lagthing, 
and  the  lower  the  Odeltthing.  The  upper  house 
is  elected  by  the  Storthing  from  its  own  mem- 
bers, and  consists  of  one  fourth  of  its  number; 
the  three  fourths  remaining  constitute  the  lower 
house. 

All  acts  must  originate  in  the  lower  house, 
but  they  may  be  rejected  or  amended  in  the 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  365 

upper  house,  when-  they  are  sent  back  to  the 
lower  house  as  amended.  After  they  have  finally 
passed  both  houses,  they  are  laid  before  the 
king,  who  may  veto  them.  Yet  this  veto  is  not 
absolute,  for  if  a  bill  passes  three  successive 
Storthings,  it  thereby  becomes  the  law,  notwith- 
standing the  royal  veto.  In  this  way  the  law 
abolishing  hereditary  nobility  in  Norway  was 
passed. 

The  Storthing  meets  annually,  formerly  in 
October,  but  now  in  February.  They  convene 
by  the  mandate  of  the  constitution,  and  without 
any  call  or  proclamation  of  the  king,  who  may, 
however,  convene  the  congress  on  extraordinary 
emergencies,  but  at  such  extra  sessions  they  can 
only  pass  laws  to  continue  in  force  till  the  next 
regular  session. 

The  Storthing  passes  all  laws  for  raising  rev- 
enue, and  for  the  public  expenditures  in  every 
department  of  the  government.  At  each  session, 
through  a  committee  of  auditors,  it  examines  all 
the  government  accounts  and  sees  that  no  public 
moneys  have  been  used  except  in  strict  pursu- 
ance of  its  appropriation  ;  except  that  ad  interim 
the  crown  may  make  provisional  grants,  subject 


366  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

to  the  revision  and  approval  -of  the  Storthing  at 
the  next  session. 

The  Storthing  has  certain  judicial  functions, 
for  it  has  power  to  impeach  great  officers  of 
state,  such  as  judges  and  ministers,  and  try  them 
before  a  high  court  of  impeachment,  appointed 
from  its  own  body. 

All  public  officers,  from  the  king  to  the  low- 
est, must  take  an  oath  to  support  this  constitu- 
tion. The  king  must  take  the  coronation  oath 
in  the  presence  of  the  Storthing,  who  receives  it 
on  behalf  and  in  the  name  of  the  nation. 

This  constitution  was  first  t  accepted  by  Chris- 
tian, the  crown  prince  of  Denmark,  when  he  was 
elected  king  of  Norway,  on  the  i7th  of  May, 
1814.  But  when  Bernadotte,  with  a  Swedish 
army,  too  powerful  to  be  opposed  by  the  new 
king,  attacked  Norway,  and  offered  the  Norwe- 
gians the  most  favorable  terms,  with  an  assurance 
that  their  rights  should  be  respected,  Christian, 
on  the  1 4th  of  August  following,  abdicated  a 
throne  which  he  was  unable  to  defend. 

The  Storthing  then  elected  the  old  king  of 
Sweden,  Charles  XIII.,  to  be  king  of  Norway. 
On  the  1 4th  of  November  the  king  formally 
accepted  the  constitution,  and  swore  to  observe 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  367 

and  maintain  it.  The  very  first  clause  of  this 
constitution,  so  accepted  by  the  king,  which  was 
then  modified  to  meet  the  emergency,  declares 
that  "  NORWAY  SHALL  BE  A  FREE  STATE  ;  independ- 
ent, indivisible,  and  inalienable,  united  to  Sweden 
under  the  same  king" 

This  most  important  provision  has  been  ever 
since  maintained  in  all  its  letter  and  spirit,  as 
well  as  all  the  other  provisions  of  this  organic 
law.  No  attempt  appears  to  have  been  made  to 
change  it  during  the  time  of  Charles  XIII.,  but 
after  his  death  in  1818,  when  Bernadotte  came 
to  the  throne  as  Charles  John  XIV.,  he  desired 
to  make  some  important  changes,  and  exhausted 
every  means  in  his  power  to  induce  the  Stor- 
thing to  consent  to  the  changes,  but  it  is  said 
that  not  a  single  member  could  be  found  who 
would  betray  the  high  trust  reposed  in  him  by 
his  constituents  and  barter  away  one  jot  or  tittle 
of  the  liberties  of  his  country ;  and  so  has  Nor- 
wegian patriotism  vindicated  itself,  without  a 
single  taint  or  stain,  and  it  ever  seems  to  grow 
brighter  and  brighter,  placing  the  love  of  coun- 
try high  above  individual  or  personal  advantage. 

Surely  this  is  a  refreshing  example,  while  it  is 
a  perpetual  reproach  to  many  public  men  of  many 


368  A   SUMMED  IN  NOXWAY. 

other  countries  who  affect  to  place  themselves 
high  above  those  sturdy  northern  fishermen  ;  but 
it  is  no  less  an  example  and  a  reproach  to  the 
people  of  other  countries,  for  it  is  only  when  the 
people  lower  the  standard  of  integrity  and  patri- 
otism that  the  public  men  will  dare  to  do  it.  If 
a  people  cannot  be  corrupted,  their  representa- 
tives dare  not  be. 

Many  have  supposed  that  Norway  was  a  mere 
appendage  to  and  a  dependence  upon  Sweden. 
This  is  no  more  true  than  that  Sweden  is  ap- 
pended to  and  dependent  upon  Norway.  The 
truth  is,  each  is  quite  independent  of  the  other 
so  far  as  all  internal  affairs  are  concerned.  In 
their  foreign  relations  they  are  united,  but  upon 
equal  terms.  It  is  true  that  the  principal  resi- 
dence of  the  king  is  in  Stockholm,  simply  because 
it  is  a  more  eligible  place  for  the  royal  residence. 
It  is  a  larger  city  and  in  a  more  southern  latitude 
than  Christiana. 

In  case  of  the  extinction  of  the  present  royal 
line,  neither  kingdom  can  elect  a  new  sovereign 
without  the  concurrence  of  the  other.  In  all 
public  acts  for  Norway,  the  king  is  styled  "  King 
of  Norway  and  Sweden,"  while  in  similar  acts  for 
Sweden  he  is  styled  "  King  of  Sweden  and  Nor- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  369 

way."  Each  kingdom  has  ITS  SEPARATE  NATIONAL 
FLAG.  No  legislative  act  in  one  kingdom  can 
have  the  least  force  in  the  other,  more  than  in 
Denmark  or  England.  Those  who  have  supposed 
that  Norway  was  swallowed  up  by  Sweden  have 
simply  jumped  at  the  conclusion  on  the  assump- 
tion that  the  original  purpose  of  the  treaty  with 
Russia  in  1810  had  in  fact  been  carried  out, 
without  tracing  the  acts  of  union  to  their  final 
consummation.  With  a  lower  standard  of  public 
morality  —  with  a  less  self-sacrificing  patriotism 
in  Norway  —  no  doubt  such  would  have  been 
the  case ;  but  a  love  of  country,  and  unfaltering 
firmness,  nowhere  to  be  excelled,  triumphed  over 
the  blandishments  of  royalty,  the  seductions  of 
offered  rewards  and  the  threats  of  power,  and 
secured  everything  for  the  weaker  kingdom  which 
she  could  desire  or  ask,  and  placed  her  upon  a 
higher  plane  of  independence  and  nationality 
than  she  had  occupied  within  the  last  five  hun- 
dred years ;  so  that  the  intrigues  commenced 
against  her  in  1810,  which  were  designed  for 
her  national  ruin,  in  the  end  redounded  to  her 
greatest  good,  and  secured  to  her  what  she  might 
not  otherwise  in  a  long  time  have  attained,  na- 
tional independence  and  national  distinction. 


24. 


370  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

The  mansion-house  in  which  the  famous  con- 
vention of  1 8 14  was  held,  and  immortalized  itself 
by  so  much  wisdom  and  patriotism,  has  been 
since  bought  by  the  state,  out  of  regard  to  the 
great  events  which  took  place  beneath  its  roof, 
and  is  still  held  as  a  national  fee.  Who  shall 
blame  the  Norwegian  for  taking  off  his  hat  when 
he  enters  its  portals,  or  feeling  a  partiality  for 
Eidsvoldbakken,  where  it  is  situate? 


CHAPTER     XXIII. 


LEAVE  EIDSVOLD  BY  RAIL  FOR  CHRISTIANA;  THE  HOTEL  PORTER, 
HIS  IMPORTANCE,  HIS  NUMEROUS  FUNCTIONS,  HIS  QUALIFI- 
CATIONS, DRESS  AND  INCOME;  HEAR  OF  THE  SECOND  CHICAGO 
FIRE;  DIFFICULTY  IN  GETTING  INFORMATION;  CHRISTIANA 
FJORD  AND  CHRISTIANA;  ANCIENT  CITY  OF  OSLOE;  ENVIRONS 
OF  THE  CAPITAL;  PARKS  AND  PALACES;  PARLIAMENT  HOUSE; 
UNIVERSITY  AND  MUSEUM;  OTHER  INSTITUTIONS;  AMERICAN 
CONSUL;  MR.  BENNETT,  THE  GENEROUS  FRIEND  OF  TRAV- 
ELERS. 

WE  have  remained  much  longer  at  this 
celebrated  town  on  the  banks  of  the 
Vormen  river,  which  is  the  outlet  of  Lake 
Mjosen,  contemplating  the  results  of  the  events 
which  it  witnessed  sixty  years  ago,  than  I  had 
intended  when  we  landed. 

At  Eidsvold  we  took  rail  for  Christiana,  in 
comfortable  cars,  and  found  the  road  in  fair  con- 
dition for  the  amount  of  business  done  upon  it, 
though  of  course  the  track  could  not  compare 
with  that  on  the  great  leading  lines  in  this  coun- 
try or  in  Europe. 

We  were  now  quite  beyond  the  mountains, 
and  were  traveling  through  a  fair  agricultural 

country,    where    the    crops    of    rye,    barley,    oats, 

(371) 


372  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

potatoes  and  grass  looked  thrifty  and  promising, 
though,  with  rare  exceptions,  none  were  ready 
for  the  harvest,  except  the  hay.  We  were  yet 
too  far  north  for  wheat,  or  at  least  I  had  as  yet 
seen  no  wheat-field  in  Norway.  The  houses - 
of  course  a  large  proportion  of  them  were  the 
cottages  of  the  peasantry  —  looked  snug  and 
cheerful,  and  bespoke  contentment.  All  had 
their  gardens,  in  which  the  vegetables  looked 
thriving,  and  the  flowers  cheerful  and  beautiful, 
for  still  the  Norwegians  of  all  ranks  seemed  to 
have  a  passion  for  gay  and  brilliant  flowers. 

Both  men  and  women  were  still  at  work  in 
the  fields,  and  all  looked  strong  and  robust. 
The  common  people  were  comfortably  clad,  and 
I  nowhere  saw  evidence  of  squalid  poverty. 

We  reached  Christiana  after  six  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  and  went  to  the  Scandinavian  hotel, 
where  we  found  comfortable  quarters.  Its  name, 
no  doubt,  had  some  influence  in  taking  me  there, 
for  I  had  already  learned  to  like  the  name,  but 
I  had  also  received  good  reports  of  the  house 
from  some  of  my  countrymen  who  had  stopped 
there  before. 

We  here  first  met  with  an  institution,  which 
we  afterwards  found  universal  at  all  the  hotels 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  373 

we  visited  in  Scandinavia  and  Germany.  It  is 
the  porter.  With  us  this  name  implies  the  boot- 
black and  the  baggage-lifter.  Here  the  word  is 
more  properly  used  to  denote  the  doorkeeper. 
He  is  the  most  learned  and  best-informed  man 
about  the  hotel,  and  has  the  most  profitable 
position. 

He  is  dressed  in  gorgeous  livery,  with  brass 
or  gilt  buttons,  yellow  facings  and  scarlet  bind- 
ings, and  as  much  tinsel  as  can  be  well  attached. 
He  has  a  little  den  of  an  office  near  the  front- 
door. He  receives  the  newly-arrived  guests  at 
the  carriage-door,  and  closes  the  door  after  them 
whenever  they  depart,  with  a  profusion  of  cour- 
tesies. He  must  be  a  master  of  all  the  modern 
languages,  so  that  he  can  answer  every  traveler 
in  his  own  tongue.  He  must  know  everything 
about  the  city,  and  be  able  to  answer  every  in- 
quiry. If  you  want  a  carnage,  he  will  order  it 
in  an  instant.  If  you  want  an  errand  done,  he 
has  a  boy  at  hand  to  do  it.  If  you  want  a  valet 
de  place,  he  can  recommend  one  without  a  second 
thought.  If  you  want  an  interpreter,  he  is  at 
your  service  ;  for  all  which  services  he  expects  a 
gratuity,  the  amount  of  which  he  leaves  to  your 
generosity,  and  in  Scandinavia  he  is  satisfied 


374  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

with  a  very  reasonable  amount.  Even  small 
contributions  from  so  many  guests  make  a  large 
income,  and  at  some  places  I  learned  that  the 
porters  were  the  principal  owners  of  the  hotels. 

After  we  passed  into  Germany  I  found  the 
amount  expected  by  the  porters  was  much  in- 
creased, as  well  as  the  hotel  charges.  Indeed, 
money  was  becoming  much  cheaper,  and  so  had 
less  purchasing  power. 

Probably  these  porters  will  find  their  way  into 
northern  Norway  so  soon  as  foreign  travel  shall 
have  so  increased  as  to  require  their  services 
and  make  the  position  profitable.  As  yet,  sim- 
pler habits  prevail  and  suffice  for  the  compara- 
tively few  who  go  there. 

There  were  several  others  about  our  hotel 
who  spoke  English  very  well. 

My  first  inquiry  was  for  a  London  Times  of 
the  1 7th  July.  On  the  steamer  on  Lake  Mjosen, 
soon  after  we  left  Lillehammer,  a  German,  who 
had  come  up  from  Christiana  the  day  before, 
had  introduced  himself  to  me  by  inquiring,  in 
very  imperfect  English,  if  I  was  from  America ; 
and  when  he  learned  I  was  from  Chicago,  his 
wife  said  at  once,  "  Oh,  Chicago  is  burning  up 
again ! "  This  of  course  startled  me,  but  they 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  375 

could  give  me  no  further  information  than  that 
they  had  seen  in  a  German  paper  the  statement 
taken  from  the  London  Times  of  the  i7th  of 
July,  that  Chicago  was  again  in  flames,  and  had 
been  burning  for  a  day  or  so. 

It  may  be  imagined,  then,  that  I  was  anxious 
for  more  particulars,  and,  if  possible,  to  learn 
the  extent  of  the  disaster.  My  German  friend 
stopped  at  the  same  hotel,  and  spared  no  effort 
to  find  the  desired  paper,  but  without  success, 
although  one  was  found  of  a  later  date,  in  which 
there  was  no  mention  of  the  subject.  At  last, 
however,  he  succeeded  in  finding  a  German 
paper,  with  a  paragraph  about  an  inch  long 
referring  to  the  subject.  This  the  clerk  of  the 
hotel  translated  for  me  with  some  difficulty,  for 
although  he  spoke  English  intelligibly  in  conver- 
sation, he  found  difficulty  in  finding  English  ex- 
pression for  the  ideas  which  he  received  from 
the  paper,  and  but  for  the  suggestions  I  could 
make  from  my  familiarity  with  names  and  places, 
I  think  we  should  have  failed  at  last.  When 
the  paragraph  was  mastered,  we  found  it  stated 
that  on  the  i4th  of  July  all  that  part  of  Chicago 
between  Harrison  and  Twelfth  streets,  and  be- 


376  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

tween  the  river  and  the  lake,  was  consumed,  but 
that  now  the  fire  was  subdued. 

Even  this,  exaggerated  as  to  the  extent  of 
the  fire  as  it  proved  to  be,  was  a  great  relief, 
for  it  showed  that  Chicago  was  not  again  left  a 
complete  desolation,  although  I  had  many  friends 
with  whom  I  must  sympathize  for  their  losses. 

With  this  information  we  had  to  be  content 
till  we  arrived  at  Copenhagen,  some  two  weeks 
later,  where  I  found  a  Chicago  daily  of  the  i5th 
July,  which  gave  us  the  correct  information  as 
to  the  extent  of  the  fire,  which  proved  to  be 
much  less  than  the  first  statement  indicated. 

Till  we  arrived  in  Christiana,  we  had  not  seen 
a  newspaper  in  our  own  language  since  we  left 
England,  nearly  two  months  before,  and  it  is 
difficult,  without  this  experience,  to  understand 
with  what  avidity  we  seized  upon  the  English 
papers,  and  it  mattered  little  whether  they  were 
old  or  new. 

Christiana,  the  modern  capital  of  Norway,  is 
situated  at  the  head  of  one  arm  of  the  great  Chris- 
tiana fjord  which  extends  into  the  country  nearly 
due  north  for  about  sixty  miles  from  the  German 
Ocean.  This  fjord  is  in  many  places  very  broad, 
but  is  sometimes  contracted  to  a  very  narrow 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  377 

channel.  In  many  places  it  has  bold  and  rocky 
shores  with  fine  scenery,  affording  an  excursion 
of  great  interest  to  the  traveler  whose  tastes  in- 
cline him  to  admire  the  beauties  of  nature. 

Although  in  the  south  part  of  Norway,  Chris- 
tiana is  still  north  of  Stockholm  and  St.  Peters- 
burg, and  is  the  largest  city  in  the  world  in  so 
high  a  latitude.  It  has  now  a  population  of 
nearly  eighty  thousand  souls,  with  a  thriving 
commerce. 

The  people  are  industrious  and  energetic,  and 
exhibit  none  of  those  torpid  characteristics  which 
are  met  with  in  old  and  worn-out  nationalities. 
Those  you  meet  in  the  streets  step  with  an  alac- 
rity and  energy  which  suggest  that  they  have 
something  to  do  —  that  they  have  a  definite  ob- 
ject in  view  which  they  resolve  to  accomplish 
while  they  yet  have  time. 

The  ancient  city  of  Osloe  was  founded  in  the 
eleventh  century,  and  became  a  city  of  note  in 
southern  Norway.  After  the  union  of  the 
kingdom  with  Denmark,  in  1380,  or  at  any  rate, 
after  the  execution  of  the  act  of  union  between 
Denmark,  Norway  and  Sweden,  called  the  union 
of  Kalmar,  under  the  management  of  the  great 
Margaret,  in  1397,  Osloe  became  the  capital  of 


378  A   SUMMED  IN  NORWAY. 

Norway.  In  this  capital  James  VI.  of  Scotland, 
afterwards  James  I.  of  England,  was  married  to 
Anne,  of  Denmark. 

In  1624,  during  the  time  of  Christian  IV., 
king  of  the  united  kingdoms,  this  ancient  city 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  near  its  ruins  the  king 
founded  the  present  city,  and  named  it  for  him- 
self. Christiana  is  therefore  only  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  old,  —  a  young  city,  indeed, 
to  have  out-stripped  all  its  rivals  in  so  ,old  a 
country,  though  to  one  who  had  seen  a  city  in 
the  new  world  in  the  course  of  forty  years  grow 
from  a  little  hamlet  of  two  hundred  people  to  a 
city  of  four  hundred  thousand,  it  did  not  appear 
quite  so  juvenile  or  marvelous. 

The  location  of  the  city  is  very  fine,  on  roll- 
ing ground  on  the  shores  of  the  beautiful  fjord, 
which  is  dotted  over  with  beautiful  and  fertile 
islands.  The  country  back  of  it  may  be  called 
hilly  rather  than  mountainous,  and,  at  the  time 
of  my  visit,  was  burthened  with  crops  ready  for 
the  harvest.  Then,  of  all  other  times,  a  country 
is  most  beautiful ;  and  then  it  is,  no  doubt,  that 
one  is  inclined  to  form  a  partial  opinion.  Drop- 
ping down  as  it  were  from  the  sterile  north,  it 
seemed  to  me  almost  like  the  Garden  of  Eden 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  379 

—  especially  when  now,  for  the  first  time,  I  saw 
on  every  hand  a  variety  of  fruits  already  ripen- 
ing, as  well  as  flowers. 

In  the  environs  of  the  city  are  many  beauti- 
ful villas  and  mansions  which  bespeak  refinement, 
affluence  and  luxury.  Particularly  may  be  noticed 
Ladegarsoen,  a  very  fine  royal  park  in  which  is 
Oscar  Hall,  a  royal  palace  or  villa  presenting  a 
charming  rural  aspect. 

The  only  military  academy  in  Norway  is  here 
situated.  Also  the  fort  Akershus,  where  state 
prisoners  are  confined ;  as  well  as  the  principal 
arsenal  of  the  kingdom. 

The  new  royal  palace  is  a  plain,  substantial 
structure,  composed  of  perfect  ashlers,  and  its 
very  solidity  gives  it  an  imposing  appearance. 

Opposite  the  palace  is  the  new  parliament 
house,  which  is  also  a  stone  structure,  without 
ostentatious  adornment,  but  of  substantial  pro- 
portions, and  has  an  air  of  solid  business  rather 
than  fanciful  display,  as  is  fitting  for  the  meet- 
ing-place of  a  legislature  composed  mostly  of 
country  gentlemen  and  well-to-do  farmers,  whose 
liberal  and  enlightened  views  are  vouched  not 
only  by  the  general  laws  which  they  pass  for 
the  government  of  the  kingdom,  but  by  the  lib- 


380  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

eral  appropriations  which  they  make  for  the 
advancement  of  science  and  of  learning. 

To  the  right,  and  between  the  royal  palace 
and  the  parliament,  is  situated  the  only  state 
university  in  Norway,  which  is  in  a  flourishing 
condition,  whose  professors  rank  high  in  the  sci- 
entific world,  and  among  men  of  letters.  Of  all 
things,  I  was  most  interested  in  our  visit  to  the 
Royal  University  Museum,  so  ably  directed  by 
Professor  Esmark,  who,  although  at  a  time  when 
the  museum  was  not  open  to  the  public,  admit- 
ted us,  and  gave  us  half  a  day  of  his  valuable 
time,  personally  explaining  the  various  objects  of 
interest. 

This  museum  is  not  only  rich  in  Norwegian 
objects,  but  its  collections  from  other  parts  of 
the  world^  are  of  great  value ;  especially  the  birds 
of  America,  collected  here  by  the  professor  him- 
self, and  beautifully  mounted  and  arranged,  are 
of  especial  value. 

He  soon  discovered  that  I  took  most  interest 
in  the  zoological  department,  and  he  was  un- 
wearied in  his  explanation  of  the  peculiar  char- 
acteristics and  habits  of  the  various  Norwegian 
specimens.  I  fear  I  shall  never  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  repay  his  kindness. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  381 

In  Christiana  is  also  situated  the  Bodsfangsel, 
the  prison  of  penitence,  where  the  prisoner  is  in 
the  strictest  solitude.  During  his  imprisonment 
he  never  sees  nor  speaks  to  a  human  being,  nor 
hears  a  human  voice,  except  the  voice  of  the 
chaplain,  whose  sermon  he  can  hear  on  Sunday, 
but  without  seeing  him.  His  cell  is  well  lighted 
from  above,  and  he  is  supplied  with  the  means 
of  working  and  reading. 

This  prison  is  selected  for  the  prisoners  from 
the  higher  ranks  of  society,  and  prisoners  of  re- 
finement often  choose  this  to  avoid  the  associa- 
tions of  prison-life  and  the  gaze  of  visitors. 

I  may  mention  here  that  capital  punishment 
is  executed  by  decapitation.  , 

I  must  not  omit  to  mention  the  attention 
shown  us  by  the  American  consul,  Mr.  Gerhard 
Gabe,  while  we  remained  in  Christiana.  He 
seemed  to  anticipate  everything  that  could  oblige 
us,  even  in  the  smallest  as  well  as  in  more  im- 
portant matters.  If  he  attends  to  his  official 
business  —  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  does — with 
as  much  assiduity  as  he  does  to  the  social  rela- 
tions which  may  affect  Americans,  surely  no 
better  representative  could  have  been  found.  He 
took  the  trouble  to  inform  Professor  Esmark  of 


382  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

my  presence  in  the  city,  and  made  all  necessary 
arrangements  for  our  meeting  at  the  museum ; 
and  when  I  inquired  where  I  could  find  some 
articles  I  wished  to  purchase,  he  insisted  upon 
going  in  person  with  me  to  find  them.  May  his 
shadow  never  grow  less ! 

A  notice  of  Christiana  would  be  quite  incom- 
plete without  a  mention  of  T.  Bennett,  who  is  an 
Englishman,  and  for  more  than  twenty  years  a 
resident  of  Christiana,  where  he  has  established 
himself  as  an  aid  to  travelers.  He  personifies 
the  "  Christiana  Carriole  Company,"  but  the  fur- 
nishing of  carrioles,  either  for  hire  or  purchase, 
by  no  means  constitutes  the  only  aid  which  he 
can  furnish  the  traveler.  He  publishes  an  annual 
guide  to  Norway,  containing  much  valuable  infor- 
mation (and  some  mistakes  I  find),  to  the  trav- 
eler, although  I  must  say  that  its  appearance 
this  year,  at  least,  was  so  late  that  it  was  of 
little  use  to  me,  as  I  could  only  get  a  copy  dur- 
ing the  last  hour  of  my  stay  in  Christiana,  when 
I  was  just  on  the  eve  of  starting  for  Sweden, 
and  even  this  was  an  advance  copy.  To  issue 
a  guide-book  for  the  year,  after  the  traveling  sea- 
son is  practically  over,  is  a  little  tardy,  to  say 
the  least ;  but  when  he  described  the  painful 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  383 

labor  and  wrestling  he  had  had  almost  day  and 
night  with  his  printer,  I  forgave  him  with  all 
my  heart. 

I  could  not  find  a  copy  of  the  last  year's 
edition,  either  in  London  or  Trondhjem,  and  so 
I  must  conclude  that  he  does  not  push  the  sale 
of  his  book  with  great  energy.  The  information 
which  it  contains  of  Norwegian  travel,  if  gener- 
ally disseminated,  would  tend  to  increase  the 
number  of  visitors  to  that  country  very  much. 
But  he  serves  the  traveler  in  other  ways  besides. 
He  keeps  an  assortment  of  photographs  and 
specimens  and  curiosities  and  trinkets  of  the 
country,  for  sale,  and  allows  you  to  have  letters 
sent  to  his  care,  which  he  will  forward  as  di- 
rected, and  appears  really  anxious  to  accommo- 
date you  in  every  way  in  his  power.  I  would 
recommend  travelers  to  call  on  T.  Bennett,  al- 
though only  those  who  commence  their  journey- 
ings  in  the  country  at  the  capital  can  receive 
the  most  assistance  from  him.  As  it  was,  we  had 
little  opportunity  to  benefit  each  other. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 


LEAVE  CHRISTIANA  BY  RAIL;  KONGSVINGER;  INDIFFERENT  AC- 
COMMODATIONS; ABSENCE  OF  CARPETS  IN  NORWAY  HOTELS; 
CROSS  THE  SWEDISH  LINE;  AVIKA;  A  WHEAT-FIELD;  LAXA;  A 
LONG  AND  WEARISOME  DELAY;  GROSS  MISMANAGEMENT  OF  RAIL- 
WAYS; THE  GERMAN  SYSTEM;  STOCKHOLM;  THE  GRAND  HO- 
TEL; THE  NORTHERN  VENICE;  WATER  TRANSIT;  ABANDON  THE 

TRIP  TO  RUSSIA;  THE  GOTHA  SLACK-WATER  CANAL;  WENER 
LAKE;  TROLHCETTA  FALLS;  SOUTHERN  SWEDEN;  GOTHENBURG 
TO  COPENHAGEN,  HAMBURG,  BERLIN,  COLOGNE;  UP  THE  RHINE; 
HEIDELBURG;  BADEN-BADEN;  ZURICH  AND  LUCERNE;  UP  THE 
RIGA;  RHONE  GLACIER;  GENEVA;  PARIS;  LONDON;  LIVER- 
POOL; NEW  YORK. 

TO  one  familiar  with  the  language,  I  judge 
the  time-tables  for  the  railways  are  not 
easily  understood,  for  Mr.  Bennett,  who  kindly 
volunteered  to  assist  me,  had  to  go  to  the  sta- 
tion-agent to  get  the  necessary  information,  and 
to  me  they  were  as  unintelligible  as  the  hiero- 
glyphics on  the  old  Egyptian  columns. 

By  his  aid  I  learned  I  could  leave  in  the  af- 
ternoon and  run  out  to  Kongsvinger,  and  there 
lay  over  night,  and  take  the  train  in  the  morn- 
ing, or  start  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  on 
the  same  train.  Of  course  we  adopted  the 

former   plan. 

25  (385) 


386  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

Having  finished  our  proposed  stay  at  the 
capital  of  Norway,  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  we  took  the  cars  on  our  way  to  Stock- 
holm. 

We  went  over  the  same  road  we  had  come, 
toward  Eidsvold,  as  far  as  Lillestrom  junction, 
where  we  branched  off  to  the  right,  still  holding 
a  northerly  direction  till  we  reached  Korsmo. 
Here  the  road  turns  to  the*  southeast  to  Kpngs- 
vinger,  our  night  station.  With  this  change  in 
our  course,  we  fairly  set  our  faces  to  the  south, 
and  every  hour's  travel  thereafter  took  us  into 
more  southern  latitudes  and  into  a  warmer  cli- 
mate. 

We  were  on  a  slow  train,  and  did  not  reach 
Kongsvinger  till  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  but 
as  the  sun  was  yet  well  up  in  the  heavens,  it 
did  not  seem  so  late  as  the  same  hour  would  in 
November  at  the  same  place.  As  I  had  tele- 
graphed for  rooms,  we  found  them  ready,  and 
took  possession  and  ordered  supper.  Well,  I 
must  admit  that  we  found  better  accommoda- 
tions at  some  other  places  in  Norway  than  at 
Kongsvinger,  and  a  better  table  too ;  still,  a  dis- 
position to  make  the  best  of  it  took  us  through 
nicely ;  but  the  short,  narrow  bed  tried  my  pa- 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  387 

tience  as  well  as  my  person,  and  I  was  strongly 
inclined  to  demolish  the  nuisance  and  sleep  on 
the  floor,  but  better  counsels  prevailed,  and  the 
furniture  remained  uninjured. 

I  have  not,  I  believe,  mentioned  that  their 
extravagance  does  not  run  to  carpets  in  bed- 
rooms. That  was  a  luxury  with  which  I  never 
had  occasion  to  reproach  the  Norwegian  hotels. 
In  our  effeminacy,  we  found  the  cold  floor  to  the 
bare  feet  not  always  a  delight ;  but  then  we  man- 
aged to  get  along  very  well  by  taking  our  own 
blankets,  or  some  of  our  garments,  and  spreading 
them  in  front  of  the  beds.  Some  times,  if  I  had 
occasion  to  cross  the  room,  I  remember  I  had 
to  step  nimbly,  and,  I  fear,  frequently  an  un- 
kind word  would  escape  me.  Indeed,  on  such 
occasions  I  think  I  was  rarely  complimentary  in 
my  remarks  upon  the  habits  of  the  country,  and 
at  Kongsvinger  I  believe  I  was  even  less  so 
than  usual,  for  I  well  remember  that  I  took  no 
pleasure  in  undoing  the  bundle  of  blankets  for 
the  sole  purpose  of  remedying  this  defect  in 
Norwegian  furnishing,  and  I  could  not  forget 
how  much  trouble  it  had  cost  me  to  do  them  up 
so  nicely,  and  that  the  same  work  would  have  to 
be  done  over  again  in  the  morning. 


388  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

No  matter ;  we  got  to  sleep  as  the  shades  of 
evening  closed  around  us,  and  then  of  course 
all  the  troubles  of  travel  were  forgotten,  for  the 
time  at  least. 

This  afternoon  we  had  passed  through  a  much 
tamer  country  than  we  had  been  so  long  accus- 
tomed to  in  northern  Norway,  but  it  was  in  a 
fair  state  of  cultivation,  though  the  crops  were 
not  heavy,  indicating  a  light  soil.  The  houses 
of  the  peasants  looked  comfortable,  and  the  gar- 
dens showed  that  the  taste  for  flowers  still  pre- 
vailed, while  some  fruit  trees  were  observed,  but 
they  were  not  very  abundant. 

By  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning  we  were 
at  breakfast,  which  gave  us  a  little  time  to  walk 
through  the  town  before  the  arrival  of  the  train, 
which  was  due  at  nine  o'clock. 

In  former  times,  when  war  was  the  business  or 
the  pastime  of  the  peoples  of  Sweden  and  Nor- 
way, this  was  a  town  of  note  in  a  military  point 
of  view,  being  favorably  situated  for  defensive 
purposes,  but  now  the  old  citadel  which  over- 
looked the  river  Glommen,  which  winds  itself 
around  the  promontory  on  which  the  fortress 
stands,  and  the  town  below,  is  now  gone  to  ruin, 
and,  like  the  town  itself,  has  lost  its  dignity  and 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  389 

ceased  to  be  important.  Really  if  there  was 
anything  in  the  town  worth  describing  it  escaped 
my  observation,  and  so  we  will  pass  it  by  and 
go  on  our  way. 

The  train  arrived  on  time,  and  we  got  on 
board  and  pursued  our  way  through  a  country, 
agricultural  all  the  way,  but  not  particularly  inter- 
esting. Sometimes  a  ragged,  rocky  bluff  would 
relieve  the  monotony  of  the  scene,  and  sometimes 
a  beautiful  view  would  be  obtained  through  an 
evergreen  grove,  but  that  was  all.  The  harvest 
of  the  fields  of  rye  was  in  progress,  but  the  crop 
was  rather  light,  at  least  so  they  seemed  to  one 
accustomed  to  the  luxuriant  crops  grown  on  the 
western  prairies  of  America.  Our  route  was 
down  the  valley  of  the  Vrangs  Elv,  a  consider- 
able river  leading  into  Sweden,  and  emptying 
into  Lake  Wener. 

Toward  noon  we  passed  the  Swedish  frontier, 
which  is  marked  with  monuments  of  loose  stone, 
and  soon  after  arrived  at  Avika,  the  frontier  town, 
where  we  had  to  change  cars  and  have  our  bag- 
gage examined. 

By  some  accident  our  trunks  had  not  been 
taken  off  at  Kongsvinger  the  night  before,  but 
this  gave  me  little  trouble,  as  I  knew  they  would 


390  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

be  stopped  at  the  frontier,  which  was  one  of  the 
consolations  (and  be  assured  they  are  very  few) 
derived  from  the  necessity  of  having  your  trunks 
overhauled  whenever  you  enter  one  country  from 
another. 

There  is  but  one  way  for  the  traveler  to  get 
along  with  this  obstruction  pleasantly,  and  that  is 
to  have  nothing  dutiable  along,  or  else  to  declare 
it  at  once,  and  to  open  all  or  so  many  of  the 
trunks  as  required,  without  the  least  show  of 
reluctance  or  displeasure,  and  without  ostentation. 

Here  I  found  the  trunks  as  I  expected,  and 
when  I  inquired,  as  best  I  could,  which  I  should 
open,  the  Swedish  inspector  looked  pleasantly  at 
me  for  a  moment  and  then  turned  away  with  a 
gesture  which  told  me  that  I  need  not  open  any 
of  them. 

Although  we  were  detained  here  for  nearly  an 
hour  I  had  no  opportunity  of  viewing  the  town, 
which  I  should  have  done  with  satisfaction  had 
time  permitted,  as  it  is  a  manufacturing  point  of 
some  importance  of  about  one  thousand  inhab- 
itants. Especially  should  I  have  been  pleased  to 
examine  the  glass  and  iron  works,  and  compared 
them  with  similar  establishments  in  our  own 
country. 


PERPETUAL   DAY,  391 

At  last  we  started  off  on  the  Swedish  railway, 
and  looked  about  us  for  something  new  in  a 
country  not  before  visited.  This  afternoon  I  saw 
the  first  wheat  field  since  I  left  England. 

About  ten  o'clock  at  night  we  arrived  at  Laxa, 
having  skirted  around  the  north  end  of  the  great 
lake  Wener. 

At  Laxa,  we  struck  the  main  line  of  road 
from  Gothenburg  to  Stockholm,  and  found  our- 
selves suddenly  brought  to  a  standstill,  and  were 
told  we  must  wait  till  two  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
when  the  train  from  Gothenburg  would  arrive, 
on  which  we  could  proceed  to  Stockholm.  I  at 
once  sallied  out  to  find  a  place  to  sleep,  but  was 
informed  at  the  station-house  that  to  find  a  bed 
was  impossible ;  that  if  I  had  been  in  time  I 
might  have  got  chairs  to  sit  in,  but  they  were 
now  all  occupied,  and  this  I  could  plainly  see 
was  the  case.  The  moment  the  train  had  stopped 
there  had  been  a  rush  by  those  who  understood 
the  matter,  who  threw  themselves  into  all  the 
vacant  chairs,  and  there  they  sat,  without  ven- 
turing to  leave  them  for  fear  their  squatter's 
claim  would  be  jumped. 

A  gentleman  on  the  train,  who  spoke  English 
very  well,  had  kindly  volunteered  to  interpret  for 


392  A   SUMMED  IN  NO  J?  WAY. 

me,  and  now  went  with  me  to  find  the  conductor 
or  guard  who  had  brought  us  down,  who  readily 
consented  that  we  might  remain  in  the  compart- 
ment of  the  car,  where  the  ladies  still  were,  till 
the  other  train  should  come  up,  but  we  must 
take  the  responsibility  of  being  awake  when  the 
train  should  arrive.  This,  of  course,  we  were 
quite  willing  to  do,  for  the  prospect  of  sleeping 
was  but  very  indifferent  at  best. 

I  fixed  up  as  comfortable  a  place  as  possible  on 
the  seat  for  the  invalid,  and  then  seated  myself  in 
one  corner  to  ruminate  on  the  situation.  I  con- 
fess I  was  not  happy ;  indeed  I  chewed  the  cud  of 
bitterness,  but  could  gather  little  consolation  from 
the  process.  For  myself  I  could  do  any  way,  but 
for  the  ladies,  and  especially  the  invalid,  it  was 
quite  different.  Here  upon  a  great  line  of  travel 
between  the  capitals  of -Norway  and  Sweden,  four 
hundred  miles  apart,  which  should  have  been  run 
through  directly  in  fifteen  hours  at  most,  we  must 
be  nearly  two  days,  and  trotted  around  from  one 
train  to  another ;  and  now  to  be  stopped  in  the 
night,  without  the  least  provision  for  the  com- 
fort of  the  passengers  during  this  unnecessary 
delay,  which  in  no  other  country  would  have 
been  thought  of  for  a  moment,  was  beneath  the 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  393 

management  of  a  tribe  of  nomadic  Lapps.  It  is 
an  abuse  of  travelers  which  should  be  remedied 
at  once.  I  understood  that  last  year  the  train 
did  run  directly  through,  but  there  was  disagree- 
ment as  to  the  time  it  took. 

When  I  got  into  Germany  I  could  not  help 
drawing  a  contrast  between  the  manner  in  which 
the  railways  are  managed  and  run  there  and  here. 
There,  for  instance,  we  left  Berlin  at  twelve  M.  and 
reached  Cologne,  four  hundred  and  three  miles, 
at  nine  P.  M.,  which  is  the  regular  schedule  time. 
I  noted  the  stops  on  the  way,  which  aggregated 
nearly  an  hour  and  a  quarter,  making  the  actual 
running  time  less  than  eight  hours.  Here,  in 
Norway  and  Sweden,  we  were  three  or  four 
times  as  long  making  the  same  distance  and 
with  great  discomfort. 

I  advise  all  travelers  to  avoid  railroads  in 
these  countries  till  their  disreputable  manage- 
ment is  improved. 

I  do  believe  I  am  not  hard  to  please,  and  am 
disposed  to  make  the  best  of  whatever  betides 
me  when  traveling,  but  I  cannot  go  so  far  as  to 
make  everything  lovely  when  I  can  see  no  dis- 
position or  desire  to  accommodate  the  public  by 


394  A  SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

those  who  are  entirely  dependent  on  public  pat- 
ronage. 

Well,  now  I  have  had  my  growl  at  the  most 
disreputable  thing  I  saw  during  the  entire  jour- 
ney, so  I  will  dismiss  those  railroad  managers, 
I  hope  for  ever. 

We  have  now  got  through  with  our  Recol- 
lections of  Norway,  which  was  the  extent  of  my 
undertaking  when  I  commenced  these  jottings ; 
but  as  I  do  not  like  to  end  with  a  growl  an 
account  of  a  journey  filled  with  so  many  pleas- 
ing memories,  we  will  take  a  rapid  flight  over 
the  rest  of  the  trip,  just  enough  to  indicate  the 
route,  and  to  get  us  as  far  away  as  possible  from 
Laxa,  the  very  name  of  which  I  dislike  above 
all  things. 

We  arrived  in  Stockholm  before  noon,  and 
found  quarters  in  the  new  Grand  Hotel,  which 
was  first  opened  to  travelers  that  day.  All 
things  considered,  this  we  found  the  best  hotel 
I  have  ever  patronized  in  Europe.  Rooms,  fur- 
niture, table  and  service,  were  unexceptionable, 
and  in  a  magnificent  structure. 

This  northern  Venice,  as  it  has  been  some- 
times called,  is  a  fine  city,  many  quarters  of  which 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  395 

are  much  modernized.  Its  fine  streets,  its  exten- 
sive and  well-kept  parks  and  public  grounds,  its 
well-docked  waterways  which  separate  the  sev- 
eral islands  on  which  it  stands,  have  left  a  very 
pleasing  remembrance  of  our  week's  visit  to  the 
capital  of  Sweden. 

I  should  judge  three  fourths  of  the  local  trav- 
eling is  done  by  water.  Little  screw  steamers 
of  ten  or  fifteen  tons  dart  about  like  swallows, 
and  take  you  from  one  place  to  another  with 
wonderful  celerity. 

I  took  passage  on  two  different  Russian  steam- 
ers for  St.  Petersburg,  but  sickness  of  one  of  the 
party  compelled  us  to  give  up  Russia  altogether. 
We  then  took  passage  on  the  steamer  for  Goth- 
enburg, which  would  give  the  invalid  about  three 
days'  quiet  on  inland  navigation.  All  travelers 
in  Sweden  should  take  this  canal  in  their  route 
if  they  can  spare  the  time.  This  is  truly  a  great 
national  work,  of  which  the  Swedes  may  well  be 
proud.  It  connects  the  Baltic  with  the  German 
Ocean  at  Gothenburg. 

It  is  not  a  continuous  canal,  but  consists  of 
ten  different  sections  of  canal,  connecting  seas, 
bays,  rivers  and  lakes,  so  as  to  make  a  continu- 
ous ship  navigation  over  an  elevated  district  of 


396  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

country,  the  summit  being  nearly  four-  hundred 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  lakes  con- 
nected are  seven  in  number,  some  very  small  and 
others  almost  inland  seas.  The  two  largest  lakes 

o 

are  Wettern  and  Wener,  the  last  the  western  of 
the  series  and  the  largest  lake  in  Sweden. 

It  shows  great  engineering  skill,  and  the  work 
is  well  executed.  The  locks  are  all  of  well- 
dressed  stone,  and  as  well  constructed  as  any 
I  have  ever  met  with.  It  passes  through  a  fine 
country  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  many 
flourishing  manufacturing  towns,  where  some  of 
the  finest  Swedish  iron  is  made. 

After  passing  out  of  the  Wener  lake  through 
a  canal  into  the  Gotha  river,  which  is  the  outlet 
of  the  great  lake,  we  had  a  fine  opportunity  of 
viewing  the  celebrated  Trolhcetta  falls  while 
the  steamer  was  passing  through  the  locks,  the 
captain  acting  as  guide. 

One  system  of  business  on  this  steamer  is 
worthy  of  note,  as  on  all  the  other  steamers  in 
Scandinavia,  the  passage  paid  does  not  include 
the  board,  which  is  paid  for  by  the  card,  and 
yet  the  steward  keeps  no  account  against  the 
passengers,  but  each  one  is  obliged  to  keep  his 
own  account. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  397 

A  small  book  hangs  by  the  door  of  the 
dining  saloon,  with  a  pencil  attached  by  a  string, 
each  passenger  as  he  passes  out  takes  down  this 
book  and  makes  an  entry  against  himself  of 
what  he  or  his  party  has  had,  and  from  these 
entries  alone  his  account  is  made  up  at  the  end 
of  the  voyage.  I  venture  to  say  that  there  is 
less  lost  by  this  mode  than  as  if  the  steward 
should  keep  the  accounts  himself,  and  then  there 
are  no  disputes  when  the  accounts  are  settled. 
When  the  steward  keeps  the  account  he  is  con- 
stantly making  mistakes,  charging  one  with  what 
another  has  had. 

The  day  before  we  reached  Gothenburg  a 
gale  of  wind  set  in  from  the  southwest.  We 
waited  three  days  for  this  to  subside,  designing 
to  go  to  Copenhagen  by  water,  but  as  it  still 
raged  we  concluded  to  take  the  circuitous  route 
by  rail,  which  after  all  had  its  advantages,  for  it 
enabled  us  to  see  the  country,  which  we  should 
have  missed  had  we  gone  by  water.  The  south- 
ern part  of  Sweden  we  found  an  interesting  and 
fertile  country. 

We  stopped  over  night  on  the  way,  arriving 
at  Malmo  on  the  coast  opposite  Copenhagen 
about  noon.  Two  hours  on  the  steamer  brought 


398  A    SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

us  to  Copenhagen,  the  capital  of  Denmark, 
where  we  spent  a  few  days  very  pleasantly  and 
profitably. 

We  then  took  rail  to  Hamburg. 

Although  the  through  route  by  rail  is  longer, 
it  is  a  day  route,  and  avoids  the  uncomfortable 
changes  from  cars  to  steamer  and  then  again  to 
cars  in  the  night ;  and  especially  it  gave  us  a 
fine  view  of  that  level  prairie-like  country,  rich 
and  highly  cultivated,  where  are  pastured  those 
great  herds  of  cattle  which,  to  a  very  large  ex- 
tent, supply  the  London  market. 

We  arrived  at  Hamburg  late  in  the  evening, 
and,  after  spending  a  few  days  in  that  ancient 
city,  proceeded  to  Berlin  by  rail.  On  this  road 
we  had  the  finest  and  most  comfortable  apart- 
ment I  have  ever  seen  in  a  railway  car  in 
Europe.  This  afternoon's  ride,  was  an  interest- 
ing one,  through  a  fine  country  and  highly  culti- 
vated. 

It  does  not  comport  with  my  present  purpose 
to  give  an  account  of  the  many  interesting  objects 
worthy  the  attention  of  the  foreign  traveler  in 
the  capital  of  the  German  Empire,  and  the  rich 
art  treasures  at  Potsdam,  surpassing  almost  any 
to  be  found  elsewhere. 


PERPETUAL  DAY.  399 

The  echo  chamber,  in  the  palace  of  the  Prince 
Imperial,  is  undoubtedly  the  finest  thing  of  the 
kind  in  the  world ;  a  sharp  sound,  as  the  clap- 
ping of  the  hands,  returned  eight,  distinct  echoes. 

From  Berlin  we  proceeded  to  Cologne  by  way 
of  Hanover.  The  rapid  afternoon's  ride  of  over 
fifty  miles  an  hour  I  have  already  spoken  of. 

From  Cologne  we  passed  up  the  Rhine  and 
to  Heidelburg,  and  from  thence  to  Baden-Baden, 
once  the  celebrated  gambling  center  of  the  world. 
Since  the  change  of  government  to  the  Germans 
the  gambling-tables  are  removed  from  the  saloons, 
which  are  now  appropriated  to  less  exciting 
amusements. 

From  Baden-Baden  we  went  to  Zurich  in  Swit- 
zerland, and  thence  to  Lucerne  by  rail,  spending 
a  few  days  in  each  of  these  places. 

From  Lucerne  we  went  up  the  lake  to  Fluel- 
len,  stopping  on  the  way  to  ascend  the  Rega  on 
the  railway  with  a  grade  of  one  foot  in  four,  after 
Marsh's  invention,  and  by  him  applied  to  the 
ascent  of  Mt.  Washington. 

At  Fluellen  we  took  a  carriage  and  passed 
over  the  Furka  pass,  stopping  by  the  way  to  visit 
the  Rhone  glacier,  which  of  itself  is  worthy  of  a 
full  description ;  thence  down  the  Rhone  valley  to 


400  A   SUMMER  IN  NORWAY. 

Sierra,  where  we  struck  the  railroad  to  the  head 
of  the  Geneva  lake,  and  down  the  lake  by 
steamer.  After  a  good  rest  at  Geneva,  and  seeing 
the  sights,  we  proceeded  to  Paris  by  way  of 
Dijon. 

After  three  weeks  in  Paris  without  much  rest, 
observing  the  changes  which  had  taken  place  in 
the  last  nine  years,  and  revisiting  objects  pre- 
viously examined,  we  were  off  to  London  by  way 
of  Calais.  In  the  depot  at  Paris,  some  light- 
fingered  gentleman,  perhaps  thinking  he  could 
make  better  use  of  my  notes  of  the  journey  than 
I  could  myself,  managed  to  relieve  me  of  my 
note-book,  so  that  I  have  had  to  depend  princi- 
pally upon  memory  in  giving  the  incidents  and 
observations  above. 

Perhaps  the  reader  should  not  regret  this 
loss,  for  probably  it  has  shortened  the  account, 
and  so  lightened  his  labors  in  the  perusal. 

We  had  an  exceptionally  quiet  passage  across 
the  channel  but  had  to  climb  high  stone  steps, 
covered  with  marine  mosses  saturated  with  wa- 
ter, when  we  landed  at  Dover,  which  was  very 
unfortunate  for  some  of  the  party. 

We  reached  London  about  eight  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  and  went  to  the  Westminster  Pal- 


PERPETUAL   DAY.  401 

ace  Hotel,  which  was  a  great  mistake,  for  we 
were  nearly  eaten  alive  by  mosquitoes,  which 
were  almost  as  pertinacious  as  gallinippers,  and 
bid  defiance  to  mosquito-bars. 

This  is  said  to  be  the  only  place  in  London 
where  these  pests  are  found.  Here  they  have 
maintained  themselves  for  years,  in  spite  of  fu- 
migation and  all  other  means  to  expel  them. 
Why  they  do  not  colonize  is  an  interesting 
question  for  the  naturalist. 

We  spent  a  week  in  London,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Liverpool,  and  took  the  Baltic,  which 
proved  her  sea-worthiness  in  a  severe  gale, 
which  lasted  but  two  days. 

After  a  voyage  of  ten  days  we  safely  landed 
in  New  York,  having  been  absent  little  more 
than  six  months,  which  were  as  full  of  interest- 
ing travel  as  I  have  ever  enjoyed ;  the  pleasure 
of  which  has  been  repeated  by  this  retrospect. 


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